All I Needed was Rain
by Clyde-chan
Summary: /AU//Sakura'sPOV/ After moving to Konoha, Sakura has to enroll in the Ninja Academy. There she encounters Akatsuki, hyperactive teens, Emoboy, and demons. Sakura's got her hands full. /SakuraxGaara//major original character/
1. Introduction

**(A/N) Re-edited chapter!! First, I wanna get something straight. Everyone is how they look in Shippuden. Except Sakura. She has long hair and a different outfit. Also, I use the English translation. It'd be stupid to use Japanese suffixes and words in a story written in the English language. Oh yeah, Sakura's a bit emo. That is all.**

**Notes:**

**Bold: Inner Sakura**

_**Italics: **_**Flashbacks, dreams, thoughts**

**Disclaimer: In now way, shape or form do I own Naruto.**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Introduction**

_I watched the village being engulfed by flames._

_I was too late. They were already there. The murderers that massacred my people._

_The fire reached towards the midnight sky as if trying to catch the stars. The full moon was watching me from a time that I couldn't even fathom. There were screams everywhere, and the smoke filled air reached my lungs. I didn't care._

_I ran to my house, only to be stopped by a hand on my arm. I looked behind me to see my best friend, Akihiko. His sad eyes reflected the fire, making them look almost haunted. He put his arms around me and I cried. I didn't know what was happening anymore. I just cried._

_It was the only thing I could do._

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Shut up!" I yelled banging the alarm clock with a fist until it stopped. The red light on the screen glowed six o'clock. I let out a moan and fell back into my bed.

I thought back to my dream.

It happened ten years ago, but I still have nightmares about it. It was the only thing I dreamed about. The fire that took everything away from me. The _people _who took everything away from me. Because of that fire, Akihiko and I were left without a home. We lived in a nearby village for a while, but after they learned my dark secret, we were kicked out. Now we just moved to Konohagakure with hopes of starting a new life. Because I moved, I had to transfer schools. Today was the first day of Konoha Ninja Academy.

I got out of bed and got dressed. I have never been to a ninja academy before, so I was having some trouble trying to put my shuriken holster on. After fiddling with it, I grabbed my backpack, and walked to the small kitchen.

Akihiko was already up, making breakfast. He had black hair with natural silver highlights and black eyes. He was a shinobi in Amegakure, and now he's a jounin in Konoha.

"Mornin'," Akihiko said as I sat in a chair at the small table. "Took you long enough."

I gave him a dirty look which he chose to ignore. Akihiko gave me a plate of pancakes and bacon. He said he had already eaten breakfast, so I wolfed them down without feeling guilty.

"You're such a pig," Akihiko said, watching me eat.

I hit him in the head with a mouthful of pancakes.

"You wanna ride?" Akihiko asked, rubbing the bump now forming on his head.

"I have two legs, I can walk," I answered.

I looked at the clock on the wall to see that it was seven twenty. I had to get to the academy.

"Alright, then," Akihiko said, clearly agitated at my snippy remark. "Get to school and try not to get in too many fights."

"That's what ninja do," I said as he walked out the door to get started on his first day as a jounin.

I sighed sadly. I loved Akihiko. He was the only person I had left and I'd put my life on the line for him. But he doesn't understand the pain and I'm going through. And being a smartass isn't helping him either.

I got up to put my dishes in the sink, and left the apartment to go to school.

-0-

I was walking on the sidewalk being completely oblivious to my surroundings and wondering where the hell I was when a silver car pulled up next to me. The car window rolled down, and I saw a girl with blonde hair and light blue eyes smiling at me.

"Hey," She said in a cheerful manner. "You're going to the ninja academy, right?"

"Yeah," I said, wondering how she knew. Then I considered my backpack and decided she must have guessed.

"Me too," She said, still smiling. "I'm Yamanaka Ino. And you are…"

"Haruno Sakura," I said, wondering what she wanted.

"You must be new, then. I never saw you before."

_'Okay then, what do you want?' _I thought impatiently.

"You need a ride?" Ino asked.

"Um… sure," I said, not really caring I hardly new her. It was better than walking.

When I got in the back of the car, I noticed three other girls.

"This is Temari," Ino said, pointing to the girl in the passenger's seat with blonde hair pulled into four ponytails. "She's from Sunagakure."

Temari smiled and waved.

"This is Tenten, our resident weapons master."

Ino pointed to a girl who was in the seat farthest from me. She wore her brunette hair in two buns and her brown eyes twinkled.

"Hi there," she said.

I didn't say anything, not caring for introductions.

"And this is Hinata," Ino said, pointing to the girl next to me. She had short black hair with a bluish tint and strange pearl eyes.

"H-hi, S-sakura," she stuttered.

"Don't mind her, she's just shy," Ino said, starting the car. Hinata blushed and twiddled her fingers.

"So what grade are you in?" Tenten asked.

"11th," I replied curtly.

Tenten looked slightly taken aback at my brusque reply, but brushed it off.

"So are we," Ino said. "Except for Temari; she's a senior."

"What's on your schedule?" Tenten asked.

_'What's with the questions?'_

I took out a paper, and read it aloud hoping after this, they'd leave me alone.

"Homeroom-Kakashi, 1st period-History of the Ninja Arts-Iruka, 2nd period-independent training, 3rd period-taijutsu- Gui, Lunch, 4th period-summoning jutsu- Jiraiya, 5th period-advance jutsu- Kakashi, 6th period-medical-Shizune, 7th period-basic jutsu- Anko. 8th period- buki practice- Ayame."

By that time everyone else had their schedules out. My eye twitched.

"Cool, you have all classes with me!" Ino said.

"I only have three with you," Tenten said, a bit disappointed.

"I-I have th-three classes with you, too," Hinata said.

_'Great.' _I thought sarcastically

The car pulled up to a large brick building with large lettering on the side that read 'Konoha Ninja Academy'.

"Big, isn't it?"

I nodded. We got out of the car. Temari pulled out a giant fan out of the trunk, said good bye, and walked off towards a different part of the building. Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and I walked to two large doors. They waved to some kids they knew, and went through the doors. I decided to follow them, feeling like a lost puppy.

The halls weren't crowded because it was only seven forty.

"Hey, what's your locker number?" Ino asked.

I considered not answering her.

"It's 405," I said from memory.

"Y-you're next to me," Hinata said.

"Me and Ino are a bit further down," Tenten said.

"Let me introduce you to some people before you go to your locker, though," Ino said, with puppy dog eyes.

_'Stop being so nice, damn it! I only wanted a stupid ride.'_

I reluctantly nodded, and Ino took me by the arm and led (more like dragged) me down the hallway. We entered the east wing, and I saw a group of boys talking by some water fountains.

"Hey guys!" Ino yelled to the boys. "I found a new girl!"

She said it like she discovered a new element. We walked over to the group.

"HEY!" yelled a blonde boy with clear blue eyes and what looked like whiskers on his face. "I'M NARUTO! BELIEVE IT!!! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!"

I sweat dropped at the boy's loud voice. A guy with long brown hair and the same pearl eyes as Hinata smacked Naruto on the back of the head.

"Quiet down, dumbass," he said.

Ino went through the group of boys. They were Naruto, Neji, Choji, Shino, Kiba, and Shikamaru. After the pointless introductions, Naruto walked over towards me and Hinata. I saw her blush as he came and she took a step back, playing with her fingers again.

"Hey, do you like ramen?" he asked.

**'Okaaay, random' **my inner self said.

"Yeah," I answered, my one eyebrow raised.

"AWESOME!!!" Naruto yelled, earning a slap from Tenten.

"I should go to my locker," I said, trying to make an escape.

"I-I'll c-come with you," Hinata said.

_'My God!'_

We reached our lockers and I did my combination. I put all my stuff in the locker, except for the things I needed for the first three classes. After Ino and Tenten put their stuff away, they met up with us. All four of us have homeroom together, along with Naruto and Shikamaru, as Ino (the great chatterbox) told me.

When we reached the classroom, the teacher wasn't there, and the class was chaotic. Kids were throwing paper planes and spitballs surrounded by a greenish or bluish glow. I guessed it was chakra, the stuff Akihiko told me about. The girls gossiped and put makeup on. It was so loud I had to put fingers in my ears.

"Hey Gaara!" Ino yelled to a redheaded kid in the center of the classroom. He was wearing all black and had a large gourd on his back. When he turned his head I saw a symbol meaning 'love' on his forehead. Gaara meant 'to kill' and the combination was strange. 'Love to kill'. I looked at him and shivered. He does look evil. But yet something's different about him. I don't know what.

Gaara turned his head away before Ino could say anything else.

"Temari's brother," Ino said. "Antisocial."

I started walking towards the back of the room, trying to ditch them, but they only followed me. Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Naruto talked with each other. They always tried to include me in the conversation so I kept my replies to their questions short.

After a while, a puff of smoke appeared in the front of the classroom.

"Yo, sorry I'm late guys," said a man with silver hair and a face mask who appeared out of the smoke. I assumed he was the teacher. "I got-"

"Lost on the path of life," the entire class stated, while he scratched his head.

"I guess he does this a lot," I said to Ino, knowing she'd be the one with the most information. I wanted to find out about the teachers to see if they're as weird as the students.

She nodded. "He's Kakashi-sensei. He used to teach the sophomores but he got switched to juniors. He's always late and always gives the same excuse."

Just then the door opened, and a raven haired boy walked through. He was wearing dark pants and a black t-shirt. The girls in the classroom started to yell "Ooh, Sasuke!" and "I love you, Sasuke!"

He just ignored them all.

"Who's that?" I asked.

_'Now _I'm _asking questions.'_

"Only the most hottest and popular guy in school, Sasuke," Ino said dreamily.

My eye began to twitch again.

"HAHAHAHA!!! YOU'RE LATE SASUKE!!! YOU'RE NOT SO COOL AS YOU THINK YOU ARE, ARE YOU?" Naruto screamed with a stupid grin on his face. All the fan girls were looking as if they were going to pummel him.

"Idiot," Sasuke said in a low voice as Naruto was attacked.

I looked at Sasuke. True, he was hot, but there was something about him. He looked so distant and cold I shivered.

'**Sakura, are you two related?' **Inner Sakura taunted.

"You're late," Kakashi-sensei acknowledged simply, despite Naruto's loud comment.

Sasuke just handed him a note, not seeming to care.

"All right then, you can take the empty seat near the back," Kakashi said, pointing to the seat next to me.

Sasuke turned and started to walk towards the back. His gaze flickered to me and I tensed.

'**EMO, EMO, EMO, EEEMMOOO!!!!' **Inner Sakura screamed.

I looked at his cold onyx eyes. They were unemotional and revealed none of his thoughts. I broke eye contact and looked around. The fan club girls were giving me death glares.

_'How the hell could anyone be attracted to _him_?' _I thought, looking down at my desk, trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

"Lucky," Ino whispered.

**'YEAH RIGHT!'**

"It looks like we have a new student," Kakashi said, looking at me. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

I stood up and said," My name's Haruno Sakura. I just moved from Amegakure."

_'Just keep it short.'_

A girl with blonde hair and violet eyes raised her hand. "Is that your natural hair color?"

All of her friends laughed like it was the insult of the century. I think she's the leader of the Emo kid fan club.

"Yeah," I answered and sat down, not caring. Ino flipped the bird. They just smirked and returned to their makeup.

"She always has the nerve to say things like that," Tenten said. "Besides, I like your hair. It goes good with your green eyes. Actually, they go good with your name."

"Thanks," I said, though I really didn't care about what Suzume had said.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

"C'mon, let's go to our first class," Ino said, gathering her books. I had first period with Ino and Tenten.

I turned to see Emo-boy Sasuke looking at me. I quickly looked away, but I saw him smirk out of the corner of my eye. I started to walk out the door when I heard Naruto.

"HEY, SAKURA!!!" He yelled. It got everyone's attention. "WHAT CLASS DO YOU HAVE NEXT?"

"I have History of the Ninja Arts," I said, wondering what drugs he was on.

"ME TOO!!!"

"Great," I said through gritted teeth.

_'This is going to be a long day.'_

**(A/N) That's it. Yes they do have cars in Konoha. Who knew? Oh, and Inner Sakura asked 'Are you two related?' because they're both emo. So, I guess that's it. R&R!!**


	2. Sand and Katana

**(A/N) Re-edited!!! I don't really know what to say, but enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Yet…**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Sand and Katana**

For third period I had Taijutsu. The class was out in a wide field that looked like a wasteland, near the training grounds. Ino dragged me over to where she and her friends were. Again, I avoided conversation. I looked around to see everyone in small groups talking. Everyone except Sasuke and Gaara. Those two should make their very own emo clan.

"Welcome everyone, to Taijutsu!" came a loud booming voice from the center of the field.

I stopped looking around and turned to the middle of the field to see the jolly green giant and his mini-me.

"What the hell…"

"That's Gui-sensei and Rock Lee," Ino told me laughing at my reaction. "Don't be fooled by their looks, though, they're actually quite strong."

**'If they're so strong, why are they wearing those cracked-up outfits!' **my inner said, laughing.

"Okay, today, we will be having sparring matches!" Gui bellowed.

Everyone was cheering and I could have sworn there were whistles. My eye twitched a bit.

"Now, everyone, I will choose your opponents!" Gui said looking at a list," Hosokawa Etsu and Fukusugi Masahiro, Takayama Shima and Kanatomi Hideki..."

I wasn't paying attention. Instead, I looked around, searching for people who I'd like to fight against. The scrawny kid hiding behind some other students looks like an easy target. But I want a challenge. I looked over a little more to see a guy who looked like a heavy weight wrestler on more steroids than usual.

_'Okay, maybe that's too much of a challenge.'_

"Sabaku no Gaara and Haruno Sakura."

**'What???!!' **my inner screamed, snapping me out of my reverie.

I looked at Gaara. He looked back at me with disinterest. Everyone else was going in the areas assigned to them by Gui, waiting for his signal to begin. After everyone else was assigned places, Gui walked over to where Gaara and I were standing.

"Alright you two will be over there," Gui said, pointing to an empty spot near the corner of the field. "There are no rules, except, try not to kill each other."

Gaara and I walked over to the spot Gui pointed to.

Why Gaara? I would have rather fought the scrawny kid or the muscle building dude over Gaara any day. He just freaked me out.

We turned to face each other. I wish I could see what he was thinking, but nothing showed on his face. He was just like Sasuke. Nothing could be seen on his features that could give me any hint as to what he was planning to do.

**'Except, maybe, steal Temari's eyeliner,'** my inner self said, ruining the tense moment.

"Begin," I heard Gui call.

Everyone began to fight. I'm no master at karate or anything, but my brother used to give me lessons on self defense and that kind of stuff. Even though this guy look creepy, that doesn't mean he's a good fighter.

We both slipped into a fighting stance, preparing ourselves to attack. The question is, who's going to attack first?

The answer to that question is Gaara. He came at me with blinding speed. I only had a split second to block a kick aimed for my head. He stepped back, and aimed another kick to my stomach. I dodged that by stepping to the side and got ready to punch him. But when I did, something blocked me.

_'Sand?'_

That's what seemed to be the substance that my fist hit. I withdrew my hand and didn't know whether or not to punch him again. Gaara took advantage of my moment of confusion and punched me in the stomach so hard that I coughed up blood. I faltered and he punched me again on the cheek.

I regained my posture and tried to kick him but was blocked again by the sand. This time, it circled around my leg and threw me to the ground. I got up and charged at Gaara again. No matter how many times I tried to punch him, the sand blocked it. Gaara seemed to tire of it.

"Sand Coffin."

Sand was surrounding my entire body until I couldn't even see the sky anymore.

"Sand Burial."

Then, before I knew it, it was crushing me. The air seemed to be leaving my lungs and I tried my best to breathe, but I couldn't. If this continued any longer I was going to die. But, before I knew it, it was over. The sand that encircled my body flowed back to Gaara's gourd.

I collapsed on the ground. The only thing I was concentrating on was breathing. I guess when I thought even though he's creepy, he can't fight, I was wrong. Dead wrong.

As soon as I felt some of the pain receding, I got to my feet weakly. Looking around I saw almost every student looking at me.

Ino and her friends ran over to me.

"Are you alright?" Tenten asked, concern showing on her face.

"I think that was unfair, using his sand," Ino said, helping me walk to a bench at the edge of the field.

"But remember, Ino, the sand protects him on its own," Tenten said.

I had no clue what they were talking about and I didn't care. I just blocked out everything

_'Just breathe.'_

"I think we should get you to the infirmary," I heard Ino say.

"No… way, I'm not… missing… any classes," I said between breaths.

This was true. I want to get in as much as I can. If I miss one class, I could miss a lot. Injuries can't stop me from becoming a ninja and getting my revenge.

"But, Sakura, you're badly injured," Ino said, pleadingly.

"I'm… fine, see," I said getting up.

But instead of walking, I fell flat on my face.

"See, you do need to go to the infirmary," Ino said.

"But Sakura seems really determined to go to her classes, so I think we should help her get around instead of taking her to the infirmary," Hinata said, quietly, without a stutter.

_'Thank you, Hinata.'_

Ino sighed and I felt her pull my arm around her neck. Hinata grabbed my books, and I limped back to my classes.

-0-

The rest of the day past without many events. When I was in Jiraiya's class, all he did was look at the over-developed girls, who wore their shirts low-cut and their skirts high-cut. Kakashi just read his book when I was in his class. Anko pretty much yelled at us the entire time. Only Shizune's class was somewhat okay.

By eighth period, I was feeling well enough to walk on my own (and breathe normally). But the thing is, eighth period is buki class. I don't think I'm well enough to be fighting with weapons. But, I have no other choice, so I might as well go through with it. Oh yeah, did I mention that buki class is taught by Tenten's mother, Ayame? I guess when Ino said she was the resident weapons master, she wasn't kidding.

"Okay, people," Ayame said. "Today we are going to practice on dummies and stationary targets. It's too dangerous for you fools who probably never had any experience in even _holding _a weapon to be fighting with each other. So, you may choose your weapon and target. Anything you want, you can have. Just don't use them on each other, _Naruto_."

Naruto had a goofy grin plastered on his face. I guess this was like going to a candy store with full pockets and being able to have anything you want. People chose sai, shuriken, kunai, and straight-edged swords. No one seemed to touch the katanas. But I took one and went over to an unoccupied target.

This is where I shine. Holding a katana between my hands felt so good to me. It was as if I could do anything. I felt secure. Again, my brother was the one who taught me. Everything that he had told me seemed to be flooding back.

**-Flashback-**

_"But Ryuu!" I whined as I always did in order to get out of something I didn't want to do._

_"No buts," the one who I had addressed answered. "We don't live in very good place, Sakura. Things happen here that you cannot control. But I want you to be able to do something about it. I want you to be able to protect yourself. You do want to be stronger, don't you?"_

_What Ryuu had said was true. But still, I hated sharp objects. It seemed as if I even lightly touch a knife or a sword, I'll bleed to death. And that was another thing I feared. Death._

_Ryuu handed me a wooden sword called a kidachi. At least it's wooden. But I was still afraid that if I swing it, I might poke someone's eye out. If you put something that doesn't even seem remotely dangerous in my hands, it would become a weapon of mass destruction._

_Though it took some time, I eventually got use to handling a sword. It seemed to be second nature to me after a while. As I got better, Ryuu and I would have sword fights. Most of the time he won, but no matter what, it was fun and I realized something. I _had _become stronger._

**-End Flashback-**

I snapped back to reality and looked at my target. It was a large block of wood about a foot thick, one foot wide, and one foot tall on a stand.

_'Easy.'_

I stepped into my stance and eyed the block of wood. I stepped up to it and raised my sword. The katana cut through the block with ease. It was like cutting through butter. I looked next to the slashed block to see more about the same size stacked up.

One by one I cut through them. Using a katana was like riding a bike. You never forget. It was effortless for me. Soon enough, I was out off blocks. I didn't know if I should ask for more or if that was it. But I still wanted more. It felt so good to be able to use a sword again and this is the only place that I can use one.

"Wow Sakur," I heard Naruto say. "You used up all of your blocks."

Naruto was using shuriken and had a target with a bulls eye in the center. Most of the time, he missed the target entirely. Ino and Tenten came over to inspect my blocks.

"Hey, you cut it straight through!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Amazing!" Ino gasped.

_'Dude, they were only wooden blocks.'_

"Well, the class is almost over so I think that's enough," Ayame said, walking over.

I was disappointed. But there's always tomorrow. When the bell rang, I got to my locker and took my stuff out. Ino offered me a ride, which I declined. This morning's ride was bad enough, and I didn't want a repeat of it. So I walked home by myself.

-0-

When I got home, I did my best to try to entertain myself. Akihiko didn't get home until five o'clock and I had the apartment to myself. Not as fun as it seems. I tried going on the computer, reading, and doing the homework Anko gave us (which was a lot). Nothing held my interest for long.

A little after five, I heard the door open. Akihiko placed his stuff on the small table in the kitchen and went to the fridge to get a beer. I was in the 'living room' (if you could call it that) watching a sitcom about a dude living with two girls and always getting into trouble with the landlord.

_'At least he's got _something

"How was your first day?" Akihiko asked, sitting on the couch.

"Well it was the most exciting day like, _ever_!" I said in my fake girly voice. "Well, first, I got a ride from some way too friendly girls who seemed like they were high on some happy-drugs. Then I got the shit beat out of me by this creepy sand kid. And then I had to be lugged around to all of my classes. Oh yeah, my teachers were either pervs or hard-asses. It was wonderful!"

"C'mon, it couldn't have been that bad," Akihiko said, always a bit annoyed with my sarcasm.

"Well, it was," I answered.

I really didn't want any friends and I didn't want people to _want_ to be my friends. All I wanted to do was to be left alone. The only reason I entered the ninja academy was to become a ninja. Not to make friends.

**(A/N) As you can tell, Sakura isn't very friendly. Ah well. R&R!!!**


	3. Infiltration

**(A/N) Edited!! I never edited this before, and I found a lot of errors. I hope this is better. Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: Still do not own Naruto to my dismay**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Infiltration**

Today I was determined to avoid Ino and her weird friends. Akihiko offered me a ride again, which I declined _again_. I wanted to walk to school. Alone. No Akihiko or weird people. Just alone.

I left the apartment, this time completely aware of my surroundings so I wouldn't get lost and have to accept another ride. Looking around I saw ordinary houses with ordinary people getting ready for the day. They were all smiling and happy. But I could sense something wasn't right.

It felt as if I was being followed. I was uneasy as I turned the corner to where the academy was. To my surprise, no one was on the street. It was completely abandoned. The only things on the street were rundown houses. The uneasiness grew stronger.

I drew a kunai out of my holster. Then, out of nowhere, shuriken where flying my way. I blocked some of them with my kunai and had to dodge the rest. I looked around for the source. I could still feel a presence, but I couldn't see anyone.

"Well, well, you have gotten better."

My eyes widened as I heard the voice.

_'Kisame.'_

I looked up in the trees to see none other than the infamous fish-faced Akatsuki member himself. There was someone else with him as well but I didn't know who he was. They both wore black cloaks with crimson clouds. I remember them well.

"How the hell did you get into the village? And why are you here?" I asked, getting angrier by the second. I didn't need this on the second day of school.

"And why would I tell you that, squirt?" Kisame said with disinterest. "All you need to know is that while I'm here, I might as well kill you."

Then his figure disappeared and reappeared right in front of me. He drew his Samehada and swung it downward on me. I only had a split second to dodge as I jumped back. The pavement on the sidewalk cracked and fragments flew all over the place. Kisame lifted the sword again.

I don't know what to do. I can't fight him. I don't have any weapons except for kunai and shuriken which are useless against Kisame. And since I'm just a beginner, I don't have very good chakra control. As for trying to use the chakra I do have, Kisame can use his Samehada to wipe it all out.

_'I'm completely defenseless.'_

Now I wasn't only mad but afraid. He _can_ kill me. No one was around to help me and I couldn't scream for help because my throat was closed up and it was hard to breathe.

_'And today was the day I had to walk alone,' _I thought bitterly.

Kisame was coming toward me again and I was backing up as far as I could. That familiar glint was in his eyes. He was out to kill. This time there was no escape. As he swung his sword, I closed my eyes.

"Kisame, stop."

I opened my eyes to see Kisame's sword hovering right above me. He was looking behind him at the man who I supposed was his partner.

"What's wrong, Itachi?" Kisame asked in sort of a growl. He was annoyed that he was interrupted.

"This isn't what we came here for," the man, Itachi, said. "The ANBU mustn't find out we're here. Save this for another time. We must leave now."

Kisame was angry, but he lowered his sword.

"Maybe next time, cherry blossom," He said.

Then both of them disappeared.

-0-

When I entered the school, the halls were practically empty. I knew that this time I wasn't early, but really late. I decided to go to the office to get a pass so I won't get into trouble. But what will I tell them?

"Um, yeah, sorry I'm late but I met up with two members of the Akatsuki. You know, that evil gang made up of murderers and thieves. So I was trying to avoid getting killed by fishface who was swinging his crazyass shark-skin for a sword at me, when his partner said they'd better get the hell out of there before ANBU find them. So, can I have a pass?"

I can see were that would lead.

I entered the office, and walked up to a desk.

"Um, excuse me, can I have a pass?" I asked the lady behind the desk.

She was filing her nails, obviously not wanting to be there.

"Why were you late?" she asked in a bored manner, not even looking at me.

_'Terrific.'_

"I woke up late and couldn't get a ride from anyone because I don't really know anyone around here. I'm new."

"Okay," the lady said, seeming content with the excuse. She wrote me a note and I headed off towards homeroom.

As I walked down the hall, I contemplated the reasons for the Akatsuki being here. I couldn't really think of anything. I don't know a lot about them except for the fact that they were all murderers who committed some sort of major crime. What could they have wanted in Konohagakure?

_'Maybe they're planning to kill someone.'_

The other thing I contemplated was if I should tell someone they were here. They're criminals pretty much wanted by the entire world. But who would I tell?

**'The Hokage,' **my inner said

Yeah, the Hokage would know what to do. But would she believe me? I'm just a seventeen-year-old juvenile delinquent who just moved here from Amegakure.

**'It doesn't matter. You have to tell her, whether she believes you or not.'**

While musing I had reached homeroom. For a second, I wondered if I should go in today. I had said that I didn't want to miss any classes. But this was different. This isn't just some minor injuries, this is something far more serious.

I should go to the Hokage first. Akatsuki is more important than school. If they're planning something, then the Hokage should know about it. If something happened to this village too, I wouldn't be able to stand it.

_'I won't cause another disaster.' _

And so, I left the school.

-0-

Finding the Hokage's office was easy. It's in the heart of the village. All I had to do was go in, tell the person at the front desk that I want a meeting with the Hokage, and sit in a waiting room for about half an hour.

"The Hokage will see you now," said the man at the front desk.

I nodded and got up. The man led me to the Hokage's office. It was then that I realized that I didn't prepare myself.

_'How will I tell her?'_

But I didn't have time to contemplate as I walked into the room and shut the door behind me. When I looked at the desk in the room I saw a woman about twenty years in age sleeping. She had drool coming out of the side of her mouth that was getting onto all of the papers on her desk. I looked next to her to see an empty bottle of sake.

_'I wonder if I should wake her up?'_

As I thought that, the woman seemed to regain consciousness. She lifted her head and wiped the drool from her mouth. Then she seemed to realize there was a presence in the room and looked toward me.

"Who are you?" she asked groggily.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. I need to speak to you about something, Hokage-sama."

"Okay, but make it quick."

"Well, this may sound strange, and I don't know how to tell you…" I said, not knowing where to go.

"I said make it quick."

I sighed, and simply stated, "I saw two Akatsuki members in the village today."

The Hokage's eyes widened. She was fully conscious now.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said. "It was about an hour ago. There was Hoshigaki Kisame and another man who I didn't know. They left quickly because they were afraid the ANBU would come. I thought you should be warned."

"How do you know that one of them was Hoshigaki Kisame?" The Hokage asked suspiciously.

"He told me," I said, lying.

"And you are sure they left the village?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure," I said. "What are you going to do?"

"Beef up security, of course," she said as she walked to the door. If you see them again, please tell me. But do not tell anyone else, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

She dismissed me and I bowed and walked to the door. As I did, a masked ANBU appeared in the office.

"I want you to tighten up the security around the border of Konoha," the Hokage said to the ANBU. "There is a report of Akatsuki infiltration."

"Right away, Hokage-sama," the ANBU said, and then disappeared.

I left the building, hoping that tightening security will be enough. I also knew that the Hokage wasn't telling me something by her reaction.

-0-

The next day, I decided to go alone again, but this time taking another route. I didn't want to see those two again, even though I was sure the two left the village.

_'But what if there was more than two?'_

I didn't want to think about that. If there _was _more than two Akatsuki, that means they can still be in the village. And no amount of border control can stop them.

This time I made it to school a little early (I was hoping that going early would make up for missing an entire day of school). As I entered the school, I wasn't surprised to see Ino and others running up to me.

"Sakura, where were you yesterday?" Ino asked worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Tenten asked.

"Was it because of the fight with Gaara?" Hinata asked.

"Did you get food poisoning from eating too much ramen?" Naruto asked.

For a second everyone stopped and looked at Naruto with sweat drops on their heads. Then they went back to bothering me. I was overwhelmed by all the questions.

"I was sick," I mumbled.

"Oh, good," Hinata said. "Not that being sick is good, just that it's good that it wasn't something more serious."

I just walked away, trying to get to my locker. Again, they followed me.

"So, it had nothing to do with Gaara?" Ino asked.

"Nope."

"You weren't injured or anything?" Tenten asked.

"No."

"So you're completely fine," Hinata said.

"Yes," I said, a vein surfacing on my forehead.

I reached to my locker and got the stuff I needed. Then I practically ran for homeroom. But, before I could reach it, Ino grabbed my arm and pulled me away from everyone else.

"Um, Sakura, you're acting kinda strange," Ino stated. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

I don't know if she meant the fact that I was trying to avoid them or the fact that I do feel a bit weird today. I guess seeing Kisame after all this time is making me a little on edge. But I just put a fake smile on.

"I'm fine, really," I said.

Ino decided to accept that, and walked away while I stayed behind.

**'You should have told her!' **my inner screamed.

_'It's not like it's any of her business,' _I replied.

**'Well, if you don't tell someone, you're gonna explode!' **

_'I already told the Hokage.'_

**'I mean one of your friends!'**

_'They're not my friends.'_

**'They're trying to be you're friends, but you don't care.'**

I didn't notice the presence behind me.

"Do you do that a lot?"

I snapped out of my trance to look behind me. And who was it? Sasuke, of course.

"Do what a lot?" I asked, irritated that I didn't notice him earlier.

"Space out."

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and walked into homeroom. I followed.

The classroom was the same as it was on the first day. Kids were acting up and there was no Kakashi in sight. But there was something different. I looked to the middle of the classroom to see two students that I never saw before. One had red hair like Gaara's and the other had long blonde hair with their bangs covering their left eye. It's too soon to say whether that one is boy or girl considering the eyeliner and blonde hair.

The blonde one saw me looking at him/her and smiled and waved. I just turned away, going to my seat. As I sat down, there was a puff of smoke that signaled the arrival of Kakashi. His excuse was cut short when Naruto screamed "LIAR".

"Okay, so today we have two new students," Kakashi said, looking at a sheet on his desk. "Will Deidara and Sasori please stand up."

I looked around to see who the new students were. Then the two who I was looking at earlier stood.

"Would you two like two introduce yourselves?" Kakashi asked.

"No," the red haired one said and then sat down.

"Okay, I will, yeah," the blonde one said. "That's Sasori. I'm Deidara and I'm from Iwagakure. I like art, Play-dough, and puppies. But mostly art."

Then he sat down.

_'Puppies!' _I thought as an image of Deidara playing with a little puppy came into my mind. It wouldn't be too surprising for someone like him. They're both strange. _'This school just keeps getting more interesting.'_

**(A/N) I hope you enjoyed. And, yes, I know, Deidara likes puppies. Who knew? Well here is the puppy loving Akatsuki to do the R&R thingy.**

**Deidara: Yay! Ya hear that Sasori no Danna, I get to do the R&R thingy, yeah!**

**Sasori: ...**

**Deidara: Aw, c'mon Sasori no Danna, show a little support, yeah!**

**Sasori: -eye twitch -**

**Deidara: Okay! Pleaze read and review, yeah! Oh, and, art is a bang!**

**-Entire room explodes-**

**Deidara: hehehe… **


	4. Reflections

**(A/N) Re-edited!!! A lot changed. I hope it's better. R&R!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Reflections**

After the Homeroom bell rang, I jumped out of my seat, and ran for the door. But just as my hand was about to touch the handle, a voice stopped me.

"Hey, can you help me with something, yeah?"

I turned around to see Deidara. Instantly, I had the mental picture in my head of him playing with a puppy. I shook my head to clear the picture.

"Uh, sure," I said, looking at the clock over the door.

"Do you know where History of Ninja Arts class is?"

"Room 495," I said, then walked away. Deidara followed.

"So, how's this school like, yeah?" he asked.

No response.

"How's the weather today?"

No response.

"Do you know any stores where they sell Play-dough?"

No response (though my inner self sweat dropped).

"You're not much of a talker, yeah."

I stopped and turned on my heel.

"I mean this as nicely as possible. FUCK OFF!" I yelled.

"Wow, that was loud, yeah," Deidara said, not doing what I nicely told him to do.

So, for the rest of the walk to the next class, Deidara had a one-sided conversation. And when we arrived in class, he took the seat next to me, and continued to talk. Once during class, Iruka caught him and gave him detention. Deidara didn't care and just continued talking.

After that class, Deidara followed me to the next. I found out that he had the same exact schedule as me. He decided that he should follow me for guidance.

_'Just what I need, another loud mouth.'_

-0-

Now we join Kisame and Itachi at the Akatsuki headquarters. Kisame was still visibly mad at his partner for the events that occurred day before. Ever since then, he ranted nonstop about how he could have killed Sakura right there if Itachi hadn't stopped him.

"I had her right there," Kisame said. "If you had just let me kill her, part of our mission would have been finished."

"That was not the plan," Itachi said.

"Who cares about that dumbass plan," Kisame grumbled.

"Don't let your own emotions interfere with your work," Itachi said.

Kisame just mumbled under his breath. He rather enjoyed killing people, especially someone like Sakura. He let her get away twice, but the next time he sees her, she's dead. Kisame grinned at the thought.

-0-

As I got home after school, I plopped down on the small couch in our 'living room'. As I looked up at the ceiling, the full force of yesterday's events hit me. At the time I was mad at seeing Kisame. I didn't want to see him before I could fight him. But for the past day, I've been scared. Now, I just have a strange feeling in my gut.

I guess I should explain.

The reason Kisame wanted to kill me yesterday is because I am a jinchuriki. I have a bijuu inside my body. It's name is Nekomata, the two-tailed cat demon. Nekomata is a large black cat with black wings. It controls death and it is able to manipulate dead bodies. The only physical appearance on me that marks me as a jinchuuriki is two wing-like marks on my back. That, and cats seem to follow me everywhere I go.

Kisame was the one who destroyed my village. When the Akatsuki found out I was a jinchuuriki, they sent Kisame out to kill me. But I wasn't in the village at the time. I was outside in a field playing with Akihiko. When we returned, our village was in flames. My brother's body was sprawled out on the ground just inside the gate. Akihiko and I were the only ones left alive.

Ever since that day, I hated rain. When there was a storm outside, I locked myself in my room. When it just drizzled a little bit, I went inside. I hated the rain because when my village was being burned to the ground, it never came. When all I needed was the rain to wash away everything, to ease my fears, to heal my wounds, it never came.

_'All I needed was rain.'_

After thinking that, tears came to my eyes. I grabbed a pillow and cried into it. I haven't shed a tear in ten years, so now all of the pent-up anger, grief, and sadness released itself. I cried harder than I ever had.

I didn't hear Akihiko walk through the door. I didn't hear him asking me what was wrong. I didn't feel him sit on the couch next to me and hug me. I was completely numb to any feeling. I just continued to cry.

-0-

Back with the Akatsuki at their H.Q., Deidara and Sasori had just appeared in front of their leader in a dark room with no windows.

"Report your progress," the mysterious figure said from the shadows. He was Leader.

Deidara bowed and said," I tried to befriend the Nekomata, but she is untrustworthy of everyone. It may take a while, yeah."

"As for the other two," Sasori said, also bowing. "The Shukaku is unfriendly, so I doubt there will be an alliance. But the Kyuubi is very naïve and outspoken. I befriended him easily."

"Good," Leader said. "We have made progress. The sooner those three trust you, the better. You are dismissed."

The two Akatsuki members disappeared.

_"Brother, is there something wrong with me?" I asked._

_I was sitting next to Ryuu on our porch. We were looking at all the cherry blossom trees in our backyard. That day, I asked some children in our village if I could play with them. They said no and told me to leave them alone. It happened everyday. The adults would avoid me and call me a monster and the children did the same. I didn't understand why._

_"Why would you ask that?"_

_Ryuu had a concerned look on his face._

_"No one wants to play with me and everyone keeps avoiding me," I said, looking at my feet. Tears were forming in my eyes._

_"There is nothing wrong with you," Ryuu said. "You're just different."_

_I continued looking at my feet. A tear slid down my cheek._

_"How about I tell you a story," Ryuu said. _

_I perked up. I loved stories._

_"Once upon a time," Ryuu began," there was a brave warrior named Hiroshi. He was the protector of this small village. All of the people loved him and he loved the people. One day, there was a stray cat that appeared at the village's gate. Hiroshi was very fond of cats and let it in. Hiroshi took care of this cat and fed it until it was healthy and strong. The cat was very thankful and revealed its true form. It was a huge beast with black angel wings and two tails. The villagers feared it, but Hiroshi did not."_

_"I'd be afraid," I said._

_"Well, the cat told Hiroshi, 'fear not, for I mean no harm to you. My name is Nekomata, and I control the power of death. But, I fear that your village is in danger because of me. If I find a host to reside in, perhaps I will be able to conceal my powers and protect this village that has been so kind to me. But, it will cost you your life.'_

_Hiroshi loved this village and Nekomata and accepted his offer. Hiroshi then performed a special jutsu to seal Nekomata in a newborn baby's body. But, he died in the process. The villagers still feared the beast no matter what and blamed Nekomata for the great warrior's death and eventually began to hate and fear this newborn. Do you know who that newborn baby was."_

_I shook my head._

_"It was you. Our parents respected Hiroshi and did not fear Nekomata. After you were born, they offered you to be the host in order to protect the village. And do you know who Hiroshi was?"_

_I shook my head again._

_"It was Akihiko's father. Akihiko understood why his father did it and he, too, did not fear Nekomata."_

_"That's why Aki is so kind to me," I said, surprised at the information that I was receiving._

_"See, you protected us. The other villagers fail to understand that, though, and fear you. But that doesn't mean there's something wrong with you."_

_"Thanks, Ryuu," I said, hugging him._

_From then on, I thought that nothing could happen to this village. But it was because of me, that it was destroyed. It turns out that Nekomata's chakra wasn't as concealed as first thought. The Akatsuki found out about me and sought to kill me._

I woke up with a jolt. My face was sore and my eyes hurt.

_'I hadn't had a dream like that in a while,' _I thought.

"So, you're awake."

I blinked and saw Akihiko at the door. I then realized I was in my bedroom and I remembered my breakdown.

"Sorry, I kind of had an emotional breakdown," I said.

"Yeah, I noticed," he said, sarcastically. "And I think I know what it was about."

"I saw Kisame in the village the other day," I stated in my usual blunt manner.

"What!?" Akihiko exclaimed, clearly not expecting that. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes. Emotionally no."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but-"

"That's right, I don't want to talk about. I just want to be alone."

Usually, Akihiko leaves when I tell him this. But this time, he stood his ground.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," he stated.

"I'm serious Akihiko, leave me alone!" I said, on the verge of shouting.

"You've been alone all your life. It's about time that you let someone in. Maybe then, you won't have a breakdown."

"You don't know what I'm going through!" I said, lashing out.

"What makes you think that? I've been with you your entire life! I know what you're going through because I'm going through the same thing, too."

"How could you be going through the same thing? You're not the one who has a demon inside of you!"

"But that doesn't mean I don't feel the same as you. I was shunned just as you were just because I was your friend. And in case you forgot, I lost my home, too!"

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled.

"No you're not. You're alone. I never chose to be alone, I didn't want it. But you do. And that's why you're hurting so much."

He then turned and left me looking after him stunned.

He's right. I didn't want any friends because I _wanted _to be alone. But being alone hurts more than anything. Everyone who tried to befriend me this year only wanted to help me. They saw that I was alone, and they knew I needed someone. But I was stupid and thought they were annoying.

Maybe they can be my rain. Maybe they will be the ones to wash away everything, to ease my fears, and to heal my wounds. And maybe, just maybe, they can douse the flames that are burning in my heart.

**(A/N) I changed it so that 'pain' wasn't in there and didn't rhyme. I also made the fight between Akihiko and Sakura longer so it's more of a turning point. R&R please!!!**


	5. Revelations

**(A/N) Sorry it took me so long to update! I was writing other stories soon to be posted on fanfic. I edited other chapters (especially the first one) so it's a lot better than before. A lot of things are explained in this chapter and the story loses a bit of OOCness (especially with Sakura). Well, I think that's about it. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, though I do own a lot of crap.**

**Everything else is pretty much self-explanatory.**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Revelations**

The next morning, I woke up without tears in my eyes. For the first time, I didn't have the recurring dream. I wondered why, and all the events that happened the previous day came flooding back. And the shame that I felt came flooding back, too.

I got out of bed and started to the kitchen to get breakfast. I hesitated at my bedroom door, though, almost ashamed to face Akihiko. All this time, he was trying his best to help me, and I didn't care. All I did was wallow in my self-pity.

I then realized what I had to do.

I opened my door, and walked to the kitchen. Akihiko was there making breakfast, as usual. I sat down in a chair at the wooden table.

"Thank you," I said right out of the blue.

"For what?" Akihiko asked, still half asleep.

"You were right," I answered, looking down at the fingers in my lap. "I'm so stupid. I didn't want to let anyone all this time in 'cause I was afraid. And that was dangerous. I apologize for what I put you through."

"There's no need to apologize, idiot," Akihiko said. "You're just a problem child."

That earned him a punch.

I got my stuff and left for school after a hardy breakfast.

_'Since I apologized to Akihiko, I should apologize to everyone else I was a bitch to,' _I thought.

As I walked towards the academy, I heard a voice call from behind me.

"Hey, Sakura!"

"Deidara," I sighed, exasperated.

This is the second time someone has snuck up behind me.

_'I really need to learn how to sense other people's chakra.'_

"Hey, Deidara," I said, turning to face him. "Um, if you want, you can walk with me. And, I want to apologize for the other day."

"No problem, yeah," Deidara said, brighting up.

So, as I continued to walk to the academy, Deidara came with me. It's hard talking to someone you just met. It seemed we have nothing in common. So Deidara did most of the talking. He talked about how art is fleeting and the fact that Sasori disagrees. I noticed he spoke of Sasori _a lot_. Actually, he always seems to be with Sasori. This made me curious.

"Are you going out with Sasori?" I asked blatantly.

Deidara was surprised at this.

"No, no, of course not, yeah," Deidara said.

"Then why are you always with him?"

"Cause he's my friend," Deidara said nervously. "Change of subject, yeah."

By then, we were already at the academy. I walked in the doors, preparing my apologies.

-0-

By 2nd period I managed to apologize to everyone for my emo-like behavior. It was easier than I though it would be. Ino and friends said that everyone goes through phases and accepted my apologies. And when independent training came, I had a clear and focused mind.

Though, instead of actually training, I went to the library. There were computers lining one side of the wall and I sat at a computer and typed in a search engine.

_Bijuu_

I clicked enter and the original screen was replaced with a page of headlines and descriptions. I clicked on the one that said 'Legend of the Bijuu'.

Another page came up.

There were names of different Bijuu and descriptions underneath. I scrolled down until I came upon 'Nekomata'. It read:

_Nekomata is the pet of the Death Gods. It takes on the form of a large black cat that has two tails, pointed ears, large canines, and large black angel wings. Nekomata controls death and eats the spirits of the deceased. It can also use the same spirits to fight. In legend, it is said that the Nekomata comes from the Forest of Death in Hokkaido. It now resides inside a Jinchurriki._

_'That's it?'_

There wasn't a lot of information. But at least I know the powers of Nekomata, even though its powers scare me. And another thing, it's supposed to be a cat, so what was it doing in Amegakure? And why did Ryuu make it sound so nice? I would persume that a creature like that would be evil.

"Hey Sakura, whatcha doing?!"

Naruto's loud voice pulled me from my thoughts and I jumped.

"Hmmm, what's a 'Nekomata'?" he asked, reading the computer screen.

"It's a bijuu," I said.

I had apologized to Naruto earlier and he said that he didn't notice me trying to ignore him. I guess he's just dense.

"Oh, like the one in me?" Naruto asked.

"What?!" I asked, surprised.

"Well, Iruka-sensei said I had the Kyuubi in my body," Naruto said, completely oblivious to the seriousness of the fact.

I grabbed the mouse and scrolled the screen down. The name Kyuubi appeared. It was a nine-tailed demon fox.

"Yeah, that's it," Naruto said, reading the description. "I think Gaara has one, too."

"You mean the guy who uses sand as a weapon?" I asked, very curious.

"Yeah, I think it's name is Shukkakakaka-ka…"

I was surprised that there were more people like me and that I knew two of them. I scrolled up and reached Shukkaku, the one-tailed demon raccoon dog.

"Ya know, it's cool that there's someone like me," Naruto said, repeating my thoughts.

I smiled," Yeah, it is."

-0-

It's been a month since I came to my little revelation and I've become much stronger since then. Shizune noticed how well I was doing in her medical class and informed Tsunade. The Gondaime said she'd train me and by the end of the month, I've attained the super-strength and healing abilities to match the Hokage herself. During training, she noted how my movements were that of a feline, lithe and graceful, to which I inwardly chuckled.

I've also become a better person in my opinion. I've grown rather attached to Naruto seeing as he was somewhat like me, though I tried my best to keep my distance from Gaara, even though, for some unknown reason, I'm attracted to him as though some sort of magnet is pulling me towards him. Naruto and I have become good friends with Deidara and Sasori. Ino and the others have also become rather close friends of mine. Soon enough, I was happy.

"Hey, Sakura, wanna come to my place to hang, yeah?" Deidara asked one day after I finished training with the Gondaime.

"Sure," I said.

_'What the hell. I need a break anyway.'_

Sasori came along too.

We walked because it was only three blocks away from the Hokage's tower. I wasn't familiar with the place. It seemed less civilized than the area I lived in. I could hear birds chirping merrily and I could see trees that were so tall that they created a canopy over the sky. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. And then it hit me.

"Deidara, there aren't any houses around here."

"I know," Deidara said. "It's the perfect place to kill you, yeah."

Before I could react to his words, Sasori grabbed me from behind and prevented me from moving. Deidara reached for his kunai and threw one directly into my chest. The pain was immense and I couldn't breathe. I began to see lights behind my eyes.

Then everything went black.

-0-

I woke up in a very dark place. I couldn't see around me, but I could feel that it was rather large. I was in a standing position, which surprised me, and caused me to stumble. I mean, I awoke _standing up_. That would surprise you too, wouldn't it?

I lifted a hand in front of my face, but I couldn't see it. I had it so close that it was touching my nose. I heard a low crackling noise and a strong light as several fires were lit. They all seemed to be in a fire pit and the were circling something. As I adjusted my eyes, I could see a cage in the center of the flames. In the cage I saw a sort of black smoke. And then, the smoke talked.

"Foolish girl," it said.

I could see the smoke materializing into a large beast-like monster within the cage. The cage was too small to allow the beast to spread its large black wings. I could see cat eyes in the black mass that had materialized. There were three of them and they had a greenish color, similar to my eyes.

"Who-I mean what are you?" I asked, but I already assumed it was a death god taking me to Heaven (or Hell).

"I am Nibi- the Nekomata," it answered, its voice seeming to echo in this large, yet vacant, place.

My eyes widened. It was the bijuu that was sealed inside me.

_'That explains the cage.'_

I guess I was half-right in my assumptions.

"You're probably wondering why you are here," the Nekomata said. "You should thank me. I saved your life."

"You what?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Those two Akatsuki almost killed you. The kunai pierced your heart."

Nibi managed to surprise me again. The Akatsuki? That's impossible.

"But Deidara and Sasori are my friends. They're not-"

"They tried to kill you just now, didn't they?" Nibi said in a tone that's used on small infants.

I shut my mouth.

"Actually, their goal is not necessarily to kill you, but to extract me from you."

Another surprise. This cat was on a roll.

For the past 10 years I assumed the Akatsuki just wanted to _kill_ me and the Nekomata.

"But why?"

"I can't explain now, but I will tell you that they will also come after the two other Jinchurriki in the village."

_'No.'_

"Now, I will give you some of my power so you can fight the Akatsuki."

"Thank you," I whispered, still absorbing the information.

The fires went out and I was in darkness once again.

-0-

I woke up in a standing position again. This time, it didn't catch me off guard. I realized that I was back in the copse again. But unlike before, I felt this strange chakra racing through my body. But I couldn't contain it all, and a black chakra surrounded me like a fog.

The chakra was released another way, too. Large black wings, not unlike the ones Nibi had, emerged from my back.

I saw the surprised look on Sasori and Deidara's faces as I took the kunai out of my chest. I didn't feel a thing.

The chakra around me was burning the area. The air was probably difficult to breathe in, but I didn't notice because I was the one who was causing it.

Trees were burnt to crisps, and Deidara and Sasori were backing away. I expanded the chakra around a 5 mile radius, and it destroyed anything in its way. That included the two Akatsuki.  
After that, the chakra disappeared to reveal the now desolate forest. My wings vanished and I felt very weak. I wanted to lay down and rest, but I was frozen.

_'What do I do now?'_

**(A/N) OMG!!! I think I just killed Sasori and Deidara!!! NOOO!!!! TT -ahem- anyways, I promise I'll get the next chapter up soon(er). The next chapter will have a lot of Gaara (yayz!) so be patient. And, of course, there will be Akatsuki. And (of course), there will be a Kisame encounter in the next chapters, so, yeah… Anyways, R&R (or die). Hehehe…**


	6. Feelings

**(A/N) Minor re-editing!! I told you I'd get it done sooner. Just as I promised, there's a lot of Gaara in it (yayz!). So, R&R!!!**

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto -lawers glare- Okay, I don't**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Feelings**

_'First off, I have to tell Naruto and Gaara. I can tell Tsunade later.'_

I left the forest and ran to Naruto's apartment, pumping chakra into my feet. He had told me where he lived in hopes that I would come to visit him. I bet he wasn't expecting me to visit for a reason like this.

"Naruto!" I yelled, knocking on the door to his apartment.

The door eventually opened and Naruto emerged.

"Sakura!" He said with a wide grin.

But that grin soon disappeared when he saw the state that I was in. My clothes were torn and dirty. I had blood on my shirt from my chest wound that I had healed when I was running.

"Sakura, what happened?" Naruto asked, concerned.

I pulled him back into the apartment and locked the door behind me.

"Naruto, listen to me, we are in big trouble. The Akatsuki are in the village and they want the demons sealed inside of us."

"What?" he asked.

I sighed, and proceeded to tell him the whole story. About the appearance of Kisame and his partner, Itachi, the betrayal of Deidara and Sasori, and what Nibi told me. I finished half an hour later. Naruto had an unreadable look on his face and his hands were clenched.

"We have to tell Gaara," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Do you know where he lives?" I asked anxiously.

"Yeah, let's go."

I didn't bother to ask him how he knew where Gaara lived. I just followed his lead.

-0-

Gaara lived not to far away from my apartment. Naruto said he stays with his brother, Kankuro. Naruto and Kankuro are friends so that's how he knows where he lives.

When we reached there, I quickly knocked on the door. There was shuffling from the other side, and after a sharp _click, _the door opened. A guy with a painted face stood in the threshold. He wore a hood that gave the impression that he had cat ears and there was something wrapped in bandages on his back.

"Hey, Naruto. What's up?" he said nonchalantly.

Before Naruto could respond, I stepped in front of him and asked where Gaara was.

"In his room," he said, clearly wondering who I was. "I'll get him. Come on in."

Naruto and I entered the apartment. It was an ordinary place with plants here and pictures there. It wasn't as messy as Naruto's apartment, but not as pristine as mine. Naruto and I sat down in two separate chairs.

The guy, presumably Kankuro, called Gaara's name from what I presumed was the living room. And after a minute, the red-headed jinchurriki came in.

"What do you want?" he asked, looking at us coldly.

"We're all gonna die!" Naruto cried stupidly.

I sighed and said," We are if we don't do something. The Akatsuki are after us."

And just as I did with Naruto, I told the story.

"Well, you killed the two of them so it isn't a problem now," Gaara said, not really concerned.

"There are more out there. And two might be in the village," I said, panicked.

"Then you'd better tell the Hokage," Gaara stated.

"I was just going to do that," I said. "I… just wanted to tell you, first."

There was a long silence. No one knew what to say.

_'Every awkward silence, a gay baby is born,' _I thought, remembering the joke Akihiko told me. _'Gay baby.'_

"Well, I guess that's it," I said, cutting through the tension. "We're going to the Hokage and tell her what happened. See ya."

Naruto and I got up and headed toward the door.

"I'll come with you."

I froze, clutching the handle to the door.

"What?" I asked, turning to face Gaara.

He stood up, his expression never changing.

"I have nothing better to do."

I was kind of happy. I guess deep inside, I wanted Gaara to come.

-0-

"But, Tsunade-shishou, this is important!"

"You can tell me later…"

The great Hokage was currently sleeping at her desk, with drool coming out of the side of her mouth. I often found her in this position when I came to train. And, as always, she was surround by sake bottles. After trying to awaken her several times, I gave up, and began to walk away. But then I saw an orb of sand form overhead the Godaime. She was completely oblivious.

"Gaara, what…?"

I didn't have time to finish as Gaara dropped the orb onto the desk.

Tsunade's head instantly shot up. There was sand all over her paperwork and inside her sake bottles. But the most sand was on her. She had the most shocked look on her face and it looked like she was about to cry.

I cracked up. It was the hardest I had ever laughed. Naruto was laughing too. Gaara just smirked.

"It's not funny!" Tsunade cried. "There's sand between my boobs!"

"Okay, okay, back to the point," I said, wiping tears from my eyes. "I don't believe border control can keep the Akatsuki away."

The words seemed out of place after such a comical moment. The Hokage was surprised, to say the least.

"What?!"

And for the third time that day, I told the events that have happened.

"I knew this would happen," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "I was right in doubting if we should let you in the village."

"You-you knew?" I asked surprised.

So this was what the Hokage wasn't telling me when I first came to visit her.

"Of course I knew."

"We really should be worrying about the other Akatsuki," Naruto said, trying to get us back to the point.

"Right," Tsunade said as an ANBU operative appeared 'magically' before her.

_'How the hell do they do that?'_

"I want ANBU patrolling the village at all times," Tsunade said in her business-like tone, all traces of weariness gone. "If you see anything strange, report directly back to me. Close off the borders. No unauthorized personnel are allowed in, or out. As for you three."

The Godaime turned to us. The ANBU bowed and disappeared.

"I want you to be on your guard at all times. You can still go to the academy but that's it. If you see anymore Akatsuki, don't fight them. Come to me. Am I clear?"

"Transparent," I said, not really agreeing to not fight.

"Yes ma'am!" Naruto said enthusiastically with a salute.

"Hn," was all that Gaara said.

"You are dismissed."

-0-

The three of us were currently walking home. It was twilight and the streetlights were starting to come on. We passed by a training area, and I had an idea.

"Hey, how about we get some training in?" I asked the other two.

"Why?" came Gaara's answer.

"Well, we're eventually going to fight the Akatsuki," I said, thinking of one in particular that I'd love to get my hands on.

"But I thought Grandma Tsunade wanted us to tell her instead of fighting," Naruto said, clueless.

"Do you really think we can get away from the Akatsuki that easily?" I asked.

"Well, fine, but I think you need to change," Naruto said, pointing at my disheveled appearance.

"Okay," I said, agreeing with him. "How about you, Gaara?"

"I'm going home," he said.

_'No.'_

I gave Gaara the best puppy dog eyes I could manage.

"Pweese Gaawa," I said, pushing out my lower lip.

"Fine," Gaara said. "Only if you stop making that pathetic face."

"Yayz!" I cried. "Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes."

-0-

I came back ten minutes later. I took a _very _short shower and got dressed quickly. I put on a red tank with a mesh top underneath and black baggy pants. Then I dashed out of the apartment like a roadrunner, leaving a stupefied Akihiko behind.

Gaara and Naruto were there already. They didn't have to change, so they stayed. We walked over to the training area after we decided on a three-way match.

"I'm going to win, believe it!" Naruto yelled.

"Don't be so confident, Naruto," I said, sounding pretty confident myself.

I could tell Gaara didn't want to be here. But I wanted him to.

There must be a reason why I want to be around him so much. Today I was happy because I got to be around him. It's weird because he's just like emo-boy Sasuke (with better hair), who I hate. I'm not even sure if Gaara has a personality.

_'So why?'_

I shook the thoughts out of my head, and put on my black gloves. The fight began when I punched my fist to the ground. The earth cracked and created a giant crater. Gaara managed to get away in time, but Naruto fell into the hole, trying to grab at the sides.

_'One down, one to go.'_

I ran as fast as I could towards Gaara, expecting the wall of sand as I punched it. I continued with a barrage of kicks and punches, but nothing got through. Gaara seemed to get tired of being on the defensive and drew back his sand to prepare an attack. I saw the opening and landed a punch.

Gaara only wiped the blood from his mouth, not even fazed. The sand came forward, too fast for me to dodge it. It pounded into me, causing me to fall back on the ground.

When the sand retreated, I stood up, breathing heavily. After I composed myself, I made hand signs, preparing a jutsu.

"Earth style: Doton Doryuuheki no jutsu."

A spout of mud came out of my mouth heading towards Gaara. It piled around him and hardened into earth around his body.

He was trapped.

"I win," I stated triumphantly.

"Go Sakura!" Naruto shouted from the hole.

The earth disappeared and Gaara brushed off his clothes.

"Can I go home now?" he asked.

"Sure!" I said, happy with my victory.

Gaara turned and walked away. I felt a bit depressed. It was the end of a day and I don't know when I'll be able to see him again.

"Um, Sakura, can you help me?"

I then realized Naruto was still in the crater and helped him out. Then I headed home.

-0-

When I got home, I ran to my room without saying hi to Akihiko, and got on my computer. I opened a search engine and typed in the word Shukkaku. I clicked on a headline that read 'One tailed demon, Shukkaku'.

The article read:

_Shukkaku is a bijuu in the form of a raccoon dog. He has a playful, extravagant personality and a pretty active sex life. Shukkaku lives in the souls of people killed by the wind and sand. The blue tattoos represent his title as God of Wind. He can create sandstorms and has the control of Wind and Sand manipulation._

I laughed at the 'active sex life' part and the fact that its personality doesn't seem like Gaara at all. But there is very limited information, just like the Nekomata's.

And there's something else.

I think I figured out why I'm so attracted to Gaara.

_'Lives in the souls of people killed by the wind and sand _and _Nekomata controls death and eats the spirits of the deceased. They're alike.'_

I went over to my bed and lay down, thinking about Gaara.

Was he just like me? Was he always depressed, like I used to be? Did he have a crappy childhood? Did everyone hate him because of his bijuu, too?

I needed to talk to Nibi, but I didn't know how.

**'I can help!' **a voice in my head yelled.

_'I haven't heard from you in a while,' _I thought to my inner.

**'Well, that's not the point, the point is, I can help you talk to Nibi.'**

_'You can?'_

**'All you have to do is let me take over your body, so your spirit will be able to enter your inner world. The entire reason why I exist is so you can interact with your bijuu.'**

_'Do Gaara and Naruto have inners, too?'_

**"How the hell am I suppose to know, I'm your inner. I don't know what goes on in your world. Now, just go to sleep, and I'll handle the rest!"**

So, I did what my inner told me to do, and eventually fell asleep.

-0-

I was back in the dark and lonely place. The same thing happened as last time. Fires lit up and in the center of them all sat the cage. In the cage was the smoke that turned into Nibi.

"You're back."

"I have a few questions," I said, hoping he'll let me ask.

"Of course you do," the Nekomata said. "Ask away…"

"Um… question number one," I said, unsure of what to start with. "What were you doing in Amegakure? I thought cats hated water."

"That's why I traveled to Amegakure. I didn't think the Akatsuki would look there."

"So, that was the danger you spoke of?" I asked.

"Yes," Nibi sighed. "I wanted to throw the Akatsuki off by residing in a host. But, unfortunately, it didn't work."

_'No, really?'_

"Question number two," I continued. "In the stories my brother told me, you seemed so… well, nice. I don't think a creature like _you_ would be kind. Was it all a ploy in order for the village to trust you?"

"Why do you think I wouldn't be kind?" Nibi asked.

"You control _death_," I said.

"That does not mean I'm evil. Why do humans believe death is bad? It's only a part of life."

"But death takes the ones you love away," I murmured, thinking of my village.

"No," Nibi said, sounding ancient and wise. "Life does. War, hate, and revenge are all part of life. Death is only the effect of it. If anything, life is evil."

I didn't get it, but I didn't push any further.

"Last question," I said, wondering how I should say it. "Could a bijuu, um… influence it's container's feelings for other people."

Nibi studied me carefully. I shifted under his gaze.

"Possibly. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," I said, blushing.

"If that is all, you may leave," the Nekomata said turning back into smoke.

The fires were doused and it was black once more.

**(A/N) Yayz!! Sakura and Gaara sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-… -ahem-. Anyways… I promise another chapter soon. For now, R&R!!!**


	7. Exodus

**(A/N) I know I promised to have this up sooner. But I lied. I'm sorry, but I was writing other fics. So anyway, I just realized something the other day as I was writing this. This was suppose to be a Sasusaku fic! Gasp! My friend asked me to write one (actually, she held me hostage and had a gun to my head). But I forgot about this story, and when I found it in my saved stories, I wanted to make it a Gaasaku. Weird, huh. Now my friend's pissed. '. Oh, well. R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (duh).**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Exodus**

"So, the Akatsuki base is somewhere in this general area," I said, drawing a large circle around the five countries on the map.

Naruto nodded his head and Gaara shook his.

We were currently sitting in my living room around the coffee table with a map on top of it. I had invited Gaara and Naruto over after school to do some 'strategizing'.

The reason for strategizing was because I wanted to find out more about the Akatsuki. We need to figure out where their base is. And soon. I want to hit the problem from its source. So far, we had nothing.

We needed help.

I know Tsunade won't help, since she told us not to fight them. But maybe Akihiko can. He is a Jounin after all. But on our own, we haven't found anything. Nothing on the computer, in libraries, in stolen records from the libraries. I was getting really impatient.

Right as I was about to kill my self, the door to the apartment opened. In walked the exhausted Jounin, who headed towards the refrigerator for a beer. Akihiko didn't seem to notice the two other beings in the apartment until he headed to the living room.

"Who the hell are you two?"

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, but you can just call me Lord Hokage. And you are…?"

"Kamiya Akihiko…," Akihiko said, sweat dropping at the blonde's enthusiasm. "And you…?"

"Gaara."

"Well, now that we're all introduced," I said, clapping my hands together," I have a favor to ask of you, Aki."

"No, I will not kill Uchiha Sasuke."

"Not that!" I said, hitting him in the head. Naruto laughed hysterically. "You have access to private files, right?"

"Yeah…" Akihiko said, wary of where this was going.

"I need files on the Akatsuki."

Akihiko didn't look surprised. I had told him everything that had happened in the past few weeks. He was concerned when I told him I wanted to fight, but accepted it nonetheless. He knows he can't control me.

"Sorry, can't do that," Akihiko said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Why not?" I whined.

"I'll get fired, idiot."

"No you won't! Just say you're using the files for research, or to get to know the village better. Anything!"

"Why do you want the files so badly?"

"To find out where the Akatsuki base is."

"In that case… I don't think I will," Akihiko said, standing up.

I pushed him back down.

"I've never asked you for anything in my life," I said, using a solemn tone of voice. "Until now. Don't you understand the seriousness of this? The Akatsuki are _here_. In this village. And there will probably be more on the way. There's nothing we can do in Konoha. We have to find the Akatsuki's base."

I saw Akihiko's jaw clench. I could tell he was contemplating what I had just said.

"Fine," Akihiko said with a sigh. "But at a cost."

_'Damnit.'_

"You have to find a job."

That wasn't so bad. I could work with Ino at the flower shop.

"Deal," I said, shaking Akihiko's hand.

-0-

The Akatsuki members were standing atop the designated fingers on the giant hands. There was supposed to be a member to each of the nine fingers. But there were only seven.

"As you've probably noticed, Deidara and Sasori have been killed on their mission."

That was the Akatsuki's leader, shrouded in darkness.

He was right. They all knew about it. But it didn't matter. No one mourned or suffered. No one even cared. Many questioned the reason the leader had brought this up.

"The mission they had been assigned to was capturing the three Jincuuriki in Konohagakure. The one who killed them was the Nekomata. You must be wondering why I am telling you this. It is because there is a change of plans.

I previously had assigned Itachi and Kisame the duty of patrolling the village and Sasori and Deidara the duty of capturing the Jincuuriki. Now I will have Itachi and Kisame in charge of capturing the Jinchuuriki and Hidan and Kakuzu in charge of patrol. That is all for now. You may leave."

-0-

"Here," Akihiko said, placing a manila folder on the table.

It was three days after the agreement. Naruto, Gaara, and I have been trying to figure out the Akatsuki's whereabouts. Everyday, we came to the apartment, and worked like we were getting paid. But we weren't getting any closer.

I pulled the papers out of the folder and scanned them over. I read it aloud.

"Akatsuki is a widespread organization made up of nine members. Their goal is to obtain the tailed demons. So far they have five. Their base of operations is known to be in Amegakure. The leader of the organization is Pein, who also originated from Amegakure. The known members are Pein, Konan, Hoshigaki Kisame, Uchiha Itachi, Akasuna Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi."

The other papers stated the crimes they have committed and the places they have been spotted.

"Holy crap, Uchiha Itachi?!" Naruto yelled.

"Is he related to Emoboy?" I asked.

"Itachi's his older brother," Akihiko said, knowing who I meant by Emoboy.

"How do you know that?" I asked, surprised.

"Research," Akihiko stated simply. "Itachi was Sasuke's older brother. One day he murdered the entire Uchiha clan and left. We don't know at which point he joined the Akatsuki, but he's one of their top members.

_'Well, what d'ya know, Emoboy has a reason to be emo.' _I thought.

"What do we do now?" Gaara asked.

"We go to Amegakure," I said.

Akihiko froze.

"Hell no," he said. "You're not going there."

"But Akihiko…" I whined.

I knew nothing would convince him. There was another reason we moved to Konoha. Amegakure was a constant war zone. It was planted in between the countries, so it often became a battle field. It was also suffering from civil wars of its own.

"Listen Akihiko," I began," I don't want to go back, either. But I have to. Either the Akatsuki come here and destroy the village or we go there and stop them from the source."

"Okay, so you go to Amegakure, then what are you going to do?" Akihiko asked. "Use your amazing powers of acne and hormones to defeat them? C'mon, you're only three teenagers. Besides, you don't know where exactly the base is."

"We'll search for the Akatsuki base," I said, determined. "And it doesn't have to only be the three of us. We can have the ANBU or something as backup."

Akihiko seemed to review this in his head looking for anything that can make me change my mind. But I was adamant, and he knew it. After a long silence he sighed, and looked at me with his coal-black eyes.

The emotions running through them made me afraid. The sadness, pain, anger, hurt. They reflected my emerald ones. Everything that we had been through. The bad times and the worse. They showed in his eyes.

And there were questions, too.

Questions that made me hate myself for doing this to him.

Why were you doing this? Going back to the place we tried to escape? Leaving behind the life we had begun to create here, only to chase the things that had caused the most pain and melancholy. Those questions that must have haunted him.

I sighed and looked down.

_'I have to do this,' _I tried to convinced myself.

Gaara spoke up.

"Why don't you come with us, since you're so worried about Sakura," he said, looking at me rather than Akihiko.

"Thank you," I mouthed, knowing that there was a chance that Akihiko might accept.

"Me, and about fifty ANBU," Akihiko said.

"Then, you'll come?" I asked slowly, wondering if he was joking.

"Yes."

In my head, there was a chorus of 'Halleluiah'.

"To Amegakure!" Naruto yelled, punching his fist in the air.

"Not yet," Akihiko said. "First, the Hokage."

-0-

Tsunade was much easier to convince than Akihiko. Though she put up a fight, she eventually gave in. There was sadness in her eyes, but also understanding.

"You will leave in a week," she said, signing a form.

"Why so late?" I asked.

"There are a lot of preparations to be mad," the hokage replied. "We need to assemble an ANBU unit to act as backup. We also need permission to enter Amegakure. They're very careful about security. It will be hard to pass, but we'll try."

"Thank you," I said, bowing deeply.

"I just have one question," Lady Tsunade said, looking me straight in the eye. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course," I said, a little too quickly.

She looked doubtful, but nodded.

As we left her office, I was beginning to doubt myself. What if we're not able to do this? What if something goes wrong? Everything is up to fate at this point. But the thing is, I can't trust fate. Look where it had gotten me.

-0-

Days passed. I had gotten a job with Ino at the Yamanaka Flower Shop. I attended school on a daily basis. Everything was normal. But I was anxious.

The Hokage had assembled a backup unit but was still preoccupied with getting permission from Amegakure to enter the country. She said they were being difficult.

But they had to be. Having wars constantly going on, they had to be careful about who entered and exited the country.

But after a while, they finally agreed to let us through

-0-.

I was packing in my room, bringing all of the necessities. Kunai, shuriken, and…. my katana. Akihiko had given me it, after he agreed to come with us. I took it out of its sheath.

It was pure black and a bit lighter than most katanas. The guard had cherry blossom petals engraved on it and the hilt was rapped in black cloth. It was beautiful. I don't remember how many times I had thanked Akihiko for it.

My window was open, letting in a slight breeze. It was mid-autumn. The weather was chilly, but not too bad. There was a slight shift in the breeze, and I turned to look out my window.

Gaara was crouching there.

"Why can't you use the door like normal people?" I asked after I practically jumped out of my skin.

"You'll see why in a second," He stated, stepping into my room.

Just then, my door slammed open, hitting the wall. The wall cracked and the door was now slightly off of its hinges.

"Sakura, it's time to go!" Naruto yelled.

I sighed. Now I'm packing some aspirin.

Naruto spots the katana on my bed.

"Ooh, sword."

"No touching," I said, grabbing it.

I tied my waistband twice, the second time looser than the first. I slipped my katana in the looser tie. I was wearing a black jacket with a red shirt underneath and black shorts. I put on a choker with a bell on it. It was a joke present from Akihiko. I had to take the ball out so it wouldn't make any noise.

"Okay," I said. "I'm ready."

I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

The doubt entered my mind again. I shook my mind to clear it.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," I lied.

We walked out of door. When we entered the living room, I saw Akihiko sitting on the couch.

"You ready?" I asked.

He nodded and stood. This time, I didn't see anything in his eyes. They were blank. But I knew he was doubting things as much as I was. But like me, he was pushing forward. There's no going back now.

-0-

"The ANBU unit is going to meet us at the gates," Akihiko said, as we ran along the rooftops.

Whenever I saw a ninja running on top of the houses, I wondered if the people in the house got mad.

We were about two miles from the gates. As we drew closer, I couldn't shake this ominous feeling I was having. I stopped running, and looked around. The others must have sensed this, and stopped, too.

"Weapons ready!" Akhiko said.

I drew out my katana. Naruto took out a kunai. Gaara didn't have to do anything.

Time seemed to stop as we stood there. I was sweating immensely as a familiar chakra signature grew closer.

_'No. Not now…'_

Then I heard a _whoosh _as metal cut through the air.

Naruto had thrown his kunai at an invisible enemy. But I knew who that invisible enemy was when I heard his laugh.

"A kunai? How vain."

The two Akatsuki revealed themselves. Kisame and Itachi. My blood boiled just by looking at the two.

"So, where are you all going?" Kisame asked, smirking. "I hope you're not leaving the village."

Then the two moved so fast that I couldn't follow their movements. The next thing I knew, I had a kunai at my neck. I held perfectly still.

"One move, and you lose your head," Itachi said, his lips next to my ear.

I smirked.

"You underestimate me," I said.

I quickly grabbed his wrist, and my chakra flowed into it, tearing the tendons. Healing jutsus can also be used to kill.

The kunai dropped and I jumped back, readying my katana.

_'Okay, this isn't so bad. They're outnumbered three to two,' _I tried reassure myself.

**'That doesn't matter!' **My inner screamed. **'They're the Akatsuki, dammit!'**

Well, that boosts my confidence.

No on moved. It was like one of those western movies where the sheriff and the bad guy have a stand-off. I was just waiting for someone to say 'draw'.

Then, finally, a move was made…

**(A/N) A cliffie! Yayz! What's going to happen next? Read to find out! Oh yeah, I'll make sure to put in some Gaasaku in the next few chapters. R&R.**


	8. Friends and Foes

**(A/N) New chapter!! Wheee!! I'm so happy I finished it!! I hope you all enjoy!! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Dammit, I'll never own Naruto!! TT**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Friends and Foes**

It wasn't Naruto, Gaara, Akihiko, or I who made the move. It wasn't Kisame or Itachi.

It was Sasuke.

"Chidori!"

The attack was aimed at Itachi. There was blue chakra in Sasuke's hand giving off a loud chirping noise. He ran toward Itachi, his hand at his side. There was a loud explosion a cloud of dust formed.

I mentally thanked Sasuke for the distraction, and took three kunai out of my holster on my leg. I infused them with chakra, and sent chakra into my eyes so I could see through the dirty cloud. Once my eyes landed on Kisame, I threw the kunai at him. Without turning to me, he took Samehada off of his back, and used it to block my kunai.

It didn't matter. The attack was only a distraction.

I pumped chakra into my feet and ran as fast as I could toward Kisame.

My fist was aimed for him, but instead of his body, my hand came in contact with his sword. I could feel the chakra being extracted out of my hand, and after the chakra was gone from my hand, the rest of it was being pulled out of my body, through my hand.

I jumped back, already feeling weak from the amount of chakra that was taken.

"Ha! You honestly think you can fight me?" Kisame asked.

I didn't reply. Instead, I charged again. Using various Taijutsu techniques I learned from Tsunade (and Gui-sensei), I did my best to fight the Akatsuki member. As the fog wore thin, I could see clearly without the chakra. I couldn't waste any more chakra than necessary to fight him.

My attacks didn't relent. Soon enough, I could see Kisame faltering. That big sword of his isn't so mighty when you're not using chakra based attacks. I only had to use the superhuman strength I gained from Tsunade-shishou to kick his ass.

"I'm getting sick of you, twerp," Kisame said, pulling his sword up.

The bandages wrapped around it loosened to reveal a deadly looking… thing. There's no other way to describe it. The weapon had grayish scales that momentarily moved after I gazed at it.

"I'm going to tear you to shreds!"

The sword was swung, and I couldn't avoid it. Expecting the impact, I closed my eyes on instinct.

Before long, I opened them.

The impact never came.

Sand was covering the entire sword, incasing it as if it was a shell. The sand was crawling up the hilt to Kisame's hand. He could do nothing as he watched the sand encroach upon his arm. Soon enough, the sand was covering his entire body.

"Sand Burial."

The missing-nin's body was crushed by the grains.

As it slithered away, there was a puddle where Kisame should have been.

"Water clone," I said.

I looked around to find Kisame, but I only found Gaara doing the same thing. Then I spotted Itachi on the roof of another house with Kisame at his side. The bandages were back around his Samehada, covering the monstrosity. I couldn't see Sasuke anywhere, and wondered where he was.

Looking at the two missing-nin I wondered what they were going to do next.

"Don't look at Itachi's eyes!" Akihiko yelled from the roof of the house connecting to the one Gaara and I were on.

Of course, I looked.

Stupid me.

-0-

"It's been a while, Ichibi, Youko," Nibi said.

Shukkaku and Kyuubi had entered Sakura's inner world after she fainted. That was the only ability they had left. They were able to enter other people's inner worlds. The room's atmosphere had changed completely. The chakra emanating from the beasts' bodies was making the air tense and rigid.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Nibi asked, saying 'honor' sarcastically.

Nibi had become confident after a battle against Ichibi long ago which he won. Neither of them remembered what the fight was about in the first place, but it was most likely over something small and insignificant. Who said humans were the only ones who were petty?

Kyuubi had the same confidence around Nekomata for he had won a battle against him. Not only that, he was by far the strongest bijuu. He had earned himself the title of 'King of Bijuu'. But the audacity often gets to his head.

The bijuu aren't on good terms, so to say. They have different rules and logics than the humans. In their eyes, friendship is idle. There's no point in it. That is why they battle each other so much. If they don't have any friends, that means all they have are enemies.

"It's about our hosts," Youko said, not enjoying this one bit.

But he had to do it.

"What about our hosts?" Nibi asked, bristling.

He did not like where this was heading.

"They should not be going on this mission," Ichibi stated as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

"Who says?" Nibi asked stubbornly.

"They'll get killed, and we'll be captured," Shukkaku said, trying to make the other demon understand.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Nibi said.

"It's not that I have little faith. It's just that I have common sense. They're walking into a death trap willingly."

"Who said they were willing to do this?" Nibi asked.

Kyuubi interjected.

"May I remind you, we can't control what our jinchuuriki do. We can't control _anything _in the human world. This is not our fight. It's theirs."

The other two demons had a glaring contest. If their powers weren't sealed, they would have broke out fighting right then and there inside Sakura's inner world. One thing they had to learn was self control.

"Why isn't it our fight? We're every bit involved in this as our containers. This is our fates we're talking about," Shukkaku said, grinding his teeth as he restrained from pouncing on the cat demon.

"Our fate is simple," Kyuubi said. "We die. We can't control that. But it shouldn't matter anymore. There's nothing left for us to live for. I accept my fate with open arms."

"Well I don't," Nibi said. "And I won't leave my fate in the hands of a juvenile delinquent who has a lot to learn about life."

"Too bad," Youko said. "It's not our choice. The moment we were sealed into their bodies, our fates were placed in their hands. The only thing we can do now is help them help ourselves."

"I hate this," Shukkaku said. "We have no power at all."

"Well that's our fault for coming to the human world in the first place," Nibi said. "We made the choice so we have to deal with it. I even willingly allowed myself to be sealed inside a jinchuuriki."

"Because you're an idiot," Shukkaku said.

"Well, I guess that means you're an ignoramus," Nibi said.

Shukkaku had a blank look on his face.

"What? Did the big word confuse you?" Nibi asked, enjoying that look.

"No. My jinchuuriki is calling for me," he said. "I bid you adieu."

The demon melted into sand and vanished.

"I should be going, too," Kyuubi said.

He disappeared in a fire.

Nibi was left alone. Always alone in this world.

-0-

"I think she's dead."

"She is not dead."

"But her eyes are closed!"

"She's sleeping, you idiot."

"Let's poke her with a stick."

Once I realized the voices weren't in my head, I opened my eyes. The bright light burned my retina.

"She's alive!"

I turned my head to see Naruto standing with a stick in hand. Gaara was next to him and Akihiko was beside him.

"How are you feeling?" Akihiko asked, concern in his voice.

"Remember when we saw that guy on that medical show with a machete in the back of his head?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"That would feel nice right about now."

"Well, I guess that isn't good, is it?" Akihiko said.

"How did I faint?" I asked.

"Itachi used the Mangekyou Sharingan," Akihiko answered.

He didn't explain what the Mangekyou Sharingan was.

"How long was I out?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Oh, about an hour or so," Akihiko said.

A wave of relief washed through me. It wasn't that long.

As I looked at the sterile white walls, I realized something. We're not in Konoha anymore.

"Where are we?"

"We're in a hospital," Naruto said.

"I knew that," I said. "I meant, what country are we in."

"We're on a peninsula, southeast of Konohagakure. We will be headed to the Land of Rain once you're better," Akihiko informed me.

"What happened after I… you know," I said, trying to absorb the information like a sponge.

"Well, we continued the fight. We had minor injuries, but we couldn't handle them, so we ran. The came after us, so I had to use genjutsu to trick them," Akihiko said.

Genjutsu is Akihiko's specialty. He's from Amegakure, so naturally it is. That's why I'm so good at it.

"Oh yeah, we have a new member on our team," Akihiko said carefully.

He pointed his thumb behind him.

_'Oh, hell no,' _I immediately thought.

Emoboy.

He was standing, acting as if he was so cool, with bandages around his head, and bruises on his face, arms and legs. He was more screwed up than I was. I was joyfully pleased that Itachi had beaten the crap out of him.

Why _him_. I would have been happy with anyone else coming along, but him?

_'C'mon, look at the bright side. More people to kick the Akatsuki's asses.' _

I wondered if Sasuke could kick anyone's ass in the state he was in. He saw me looking, and glared. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I'll tell the nurse you're awake," Akihiko said, leaving the room, feeling the tense atmosphere.

Now it was inquisition time.

"Why are you coming along?" I asked Sasuke, letting the bitterness enter my voice.

"None of your business," he replied, just as bitterly.

"It is my business," I said, my anger boiling. "I'm the one who planned this with the help of Gaara and Naruto."

"If you really want to know, I'm coming so I can kill my brother," he said.

Of course. What Akihiko had told me. Itachi had murdered the Uchiha clan. I guess Sasuke wants revenge. But looking at him, I don't think he would be able to inflict any damage on Itachi.

"You expect to kill your brother when he's the one who nearly killed you," I said, knowing I crossed a line, and enjoying it.

Sasuke's eyes flashed and he left the room, without saying anything. I silently enjoyed my victory as Naruto went after him.

"You shouldn't do that," Gaara said, sitting in a chair by my bed. "It hurts his ego."

"Good," I said, disappointed that Gaara took his side.

"We need him to help us," Gaara continued. "He has the Sharingan and knows Chidori."

"Yeah, well I… I'm better than him," I pouted, not giving up.

I would never give anyone the glory of beating me in an argument.

"If you keep on insulting him, he might not want to come with us," Gaara said.

"Again, good," I said.

"Not good," Gaara said. "How well do you expect three students, a jounin, and an ANBU unit to fair against the Akatsuki organization. We'd need an entire army to do what we're planning to do. We need every person we can get."

I knew I couldn't argue with that, so I pouted and grumbled instead.

"Look at it this way, you can continue to torture him, _without _injuring his ego," Gaara added, seeing the look on my face.

I pouted and grumbled again.

"I don't even want to go back," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else.

"What?" Gaara asked, somehow hearing me.

"I would be all for this mission if it were in any other village," I said. "But, I have doubts. I'm going back to the place I tried so hard to escape."

"Akihiko told me about your history," Gaara said quietly. "And your bijuu."

I looked up. So he knows.

"And I know Naruto's history and bijuu. We all have been through what you've been through. We know what it's like to be shunned and feared. We know what it's like to be alone."

"Do you know what it's like to lose your home, you're family?" I asked feeling tears brimming my eyes.

_'Don't cry.'_

"No. Naruto and I were always alone. But Sasuke knows what's it's like. And that's something you have in common."

"I don't want to have anything in common with _him_," I said, tears spilling over.

"What do you have against him?" Gaara asked.

"He's an emo bitch," I said.

Strangely, Gaara laughed. It wasn't all out, more like a chuckle. I blushed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, wiping my face.

"So, you don't like him because he's emo," Gaara said after he stopped laughing. "That's no reason to be against having him help us."

"For me, it is," I said adamantly.

Gaara sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win.

"I'll let you get some rest," he said, getting up and heading for the door.

"No," I say on impulse. "Stay."

Gaara looked down at me. I don't know what possessed me to say that, but it came out involuntarily. Besides, I really did want him to stay.

Gaara sat back down, and I fell back asleep with him next to me.

**(A/N) Wow. That was the most Gaara had ever talked (lol). And just so you know, everything that I have written about the bijuu is true. There's a legend about them, and I took information from it. Sorry this took a while. I was editing the other chapters. So yeah. Shukkaku, Youko, and Nibi are here to do the R&R thingy.**

**Shukkaku: I'm doing it!**

**Nibi: No, I am!**

**Youko: You both are wrong. I am!**

**-They start fighting-**

**Me: -sweat drop- umm. Guys? Hey. Hey! HEY! HEEEEEEEEEY!!**

**-They stop-**

**Shukkaku, Nibi & Youko: -Ahem- R&R!**

**-Continue fighting-**


	9. Voyage

**(A/N) Sorry for the wait! I'm writing other stories. This chapter is sort of a filler, but not at the same time. So review plez!**

**Disclaimer: It hurts my ego every time I say this but I do not own Naruto.**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Voyage**

Early the next day, we headed out. The ANBU unit had caught up with us, and I wondered where they were when the Akatsuki showed up. They questioned the newcomer, but eventually gave in and let him come along.

We had to catch a ferry at about nine o'clock in the morning to reach the Land of Water. From there it was about a five day walk (or run, for that matter).

On the ferry, Naruto was hanging over the side, tainting the ocean with his breakfast. Akihiko was making plans with the ANBU unit just in case anything went wrong. Gaara was getting as far away from Naruto as possible in order to get a better view of the ocean. Sasuke was doing the same.

_'What a team,' _I thought as Naruto ran out of things to regurgitate.

"I feel sorry for the sea creatures," I said.

Naruto was walking bowlegged to the bathroom. Shaking my head, I headed over to where Akihiko and the ANBU were.

"Is everything arranged?" I asked, looking over Akihiko's shoulder at the map he was writing on.

"Everything's settled," he said, folding the map. "Just one last thing. And I know you'll get mad, but it has to be done."

I motioned for him to continue.

"You're sharing a stateroom with the boys."

My jaw dropped.

"B-b-but…"

"I'm sorry, but there's just not enough room for everyone to have a cabin of their own," Akihiko said.

"But, that's not fair!" I managed to spit out.

"Life's not fair," he said.

Can't argue with that.

"You're missing something," I pressed. "We're of the opposite sex. Hell, Naruto's of the opposite _species_."

"I heard that!" Naruto called.

He and Gaara were coming toward us. Naruto was turning green and he was holding his stomach.

"C'mon, Sakura, it won't kill you," Akihiko said.

"Shows what you know," I retorted.

"What won't kill you?" Naruto asked, overhearing us.

"We're sharing a room," I pouted.

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted. "It'll be like a sleepover, believe it!"

I hit him in the head.

"No it won't. It will be torture. Especially for me," I said.

"Aw, c'mon, Sakura, it'll be fun," Naruto said, making puppy dog eyes.

I snorted.

"Yes, being stuck in a cabin you and Emoboy will be so much fun," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

I didn't complain about Gaara.

-0-

"Would you rather… cut off all of your fingers or cut off one of your feet?" I asked while stifling a yawn.

We were playing 'Would you Rather' in our small cabin. We as in Naruto and I. Sasuke was asleep, since it was about twelve in the morning. Gaara was nowhere to be found. Akihiko had his own room, that bastard.

I was getting tired of Naruto's constant questions relating to ramen, so I headed up to the deck.

The moon was currently waning in the cloudless night. There was a slight breeze as I came out from underneath the ship. The fresh air was bracing after being locked in a stuffy cabin with Sir Ramen Addict for three hours.

I was nervous, though, being in the middle of the ocean like this. Cats don't like water. And the rocking motion of the boat just reminded me as I tried to forget that we were about two hundred miles off the coast of Konoha. I felt as if I was going to imitate the actions of Naruto earlier.

To my surprise, I wasn't the only one on the deck. Gaara was standing there, looking out into the oceans. He was awake and alert, and I questioned whether he was splashing cold water on his face all night, being that vigilant.

"You can just stand there and stare, or you could actually come over here," Gaara said without turning around.

I blushed.

"I'll choose the latter," I said, walking over to him. I leaned against the railing, staring out into the black abyss as the sky and sea seemed to merge.

"Why aren't you asleep?" I asked.

"I can't sleep," he answered simply.

"Me neither, what with Naruto wanting to play 'would you rather' all night."

"That's not what I meant," he said. "I can't sleep because of Shukkaku."

"Your bijuu?" I asked.

"If I ever go to sleep, it would eat away my psyche and take over."

It creeped me out that a demon could actually do something like that. I knew they weren't the friendliest of mythological creatures, but that's just extreme. I wonder if Nibi would ever do that to me.

"And here I thought you stole Temari's eye shadow," I said, referring to the black around his eyes that I assume are from lack of sleep.

"So funny I almost laughed myself into a coma."

That comment actually made _me_ laugh.

After I stopped laughing, a comfortable silence settled between us. There was nothing to say after all.

We just stood there, gazing out at the sea, moon, and stars. I was entranced by the void that appeared to go on for all eternity. It's during these kind of moments that you don't want to look into the future. And you don't want to remember the past.

You wanted to remain in the present. And so, we did.

-0-

I woke up the next morning without any idea how I had gotten back to my room. The last thing I remembered was standing on the deck with Gaara.

I got out of my bed and walked onto the upper deck. It didn't matter that I had my pajamas on (which were boxers and a t-shirt). I rubbed my eyes and looked around for any sign of Akihiko. Spotting him talking to the captain of ship, she walked over.

"Nice outfit," Akihiko said, spotting me.

"Ha, ha," Sakura said."I have a question. How long is this trip going to take?"

"One week," Akihiko replied.

My eye twitched. An entire _week _in the same cabin as Emoboy and Sir Ramen Addict. Sakura had the urge to put a kunai to her throat. But she had a thought.

_'Another week until I'm home.'_

**(A/N) Hope you liked it! I might have the next chapter up soon. I hope I will. So, for now, review. I'll give you a pina colada!**


	10. Arrival

**(A/N) Sorry for the long wait and all. Writer's block. Anyway, if you find some things in this story confuzzling read the author's note at the bottom. If you have any questions, just tell me.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto…**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Arrival**

The rest of the week passed slowly. I thought I would rip my hair out if I had to stay on the ship with Ramenboy and Emoboy for another minute. I believe I acquired a permanent eye twitch.

"We're here," Akihiko announced on the last day of the trip.

I stepped out of the stateroom and walked to the upper deck. As I looked around, I felt droplets of water hit my face. I thought about returning to the cabin, but changed my mind. They didn't call it the Land of Rain for nothing. We were bound to see worse conditions.

As I looked through the thick, permanent fog, I could see a large mass in front of us. As the mist separated, I could see land. The clouds overhead grew thicker as we approached it.

I was almost home.

-0-

"So, they're coming to Amegakure," the Akatsuki leader stated, his hologram flickering a bit.

"That is correct," Itachi confirmed.

"Well, then, it won't be long," the leader said, looking over to the tenth empty finger on the statue.

"What do you want us to do?" Kisame asked.

"Nothing," their leader replied. "We wait."

The Akatsuki didn't know what to make of this decision. But they supposed that their leader knew best.

-0-

We set anchor on the shore only minutes later. I was the first to run down the ramp, thanking the gods for the solid land beneath my feet. I almost kissed it, but refrained from making myself into a fool.

Instead, I looked around my milieu. Stands were up everywhere, merchants behind the counters. It looked a lot like Konoha, but without Hokage Mountain and it was much more deprived. I had never been in this part of the country, so all of this was new to me.

"So begins the four day hike to Amegakure," Akihiko stated, bringing my attention back.

Naruto and I moaned.

"We better get started," I said.

"We have to travel through rainforests," Akihiko stated, gauging our reactions.

Naruto and I moaned again.

"Just as I thought."

-0-

"So, they've arrived," Tsunade said, pouring her sake.

She was waiting for confirmation of the group's safe arrival. She had been concerned, to say the least, though she knew an ANBU unit was with them. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on.

And the three desks she had broken that week wasn't helping, either.

"Yes, just minutes ago," Shizune stated.

"And how are they?" the Hokage asked.

"They're in fairly good condition, but…" Shizune began.

"But what?" Tsunade asked, pausing from taking a sip of the rice wine.

"An ANBU noticed something strange while he was on the ship," Shizune stated nervously.

"What was it?" Tsunade asked, growing impatient.

"A messenger hawk that didn't belong to Konoha or Amegakure was coming to and from the ship," Shizune said. "Actually, it didn't seem to belong to any country."

"What do you think that means?"

"It means there might be a traitor in their midst."

-0-

The rainforests were humid and damp. I found my shirt sticking to my back almost immediately after entering the forest. The rain wasn't helping much, either. Instead of being refreshing, it was tepid.

"Ugh, how long will we be traveling through this forest?" Naruto grumbled.

"Until we reach Amegakure," Akihiko answered, smiling as Naruto complained under his breath.

"It's getting late, though, so we should set up camp soon," I said, looking up to see how dark the sky was.

The only thing that reached my eyes were the tops of trees.

"Fine, since you're all complaining," Akihiko said.

So, we stopped for the night. Setting up the camp I didn't notice any ANBU, but suspected that they were either close behind or ahead.

Akihiko set out to find food while Naruto tried to make a fire.

"It's not going to work, idiot," Sasuke said, watching Naruto rub two sticks together.

"It can work," I said. "Just put a tarp over the fire.

"That would smother it," Sasuke said.

"Not if you put it high enough," I said, gritting my teeth.

It'll be an amazing feat for us to defeat the Akatsuki.

-0-

After we had our fill of less than appetizing fish from a nearby stream, we headed off to bed. Thank God we each had separate tents.

But even then, I couldn't sleep.

I sat up, wondering what it will be like to go back to Amegakure. I had heard that the village I came from was being rebuilt.

_'But it won't be the same,' _I thought.

Even though the people of my village despised me, I still loved it. My parents, Ryuu, Akihiko. At one time, we were all happy together. They were my only friends. But now my parents and Ryuu were gone. I only had Akihiko.

As I tossed and turned, I heard rustling coming from outside. At first, I thought it was one of the boys turning in their sleep. But as I listened closely, I could tell it was rustling of trees. It was a different sound than the rain pelting the leaves. And it wasn't windy out.

I cautiously stepped out of my tent, grabbing a kunai. I heard the rustling again, and I shot over to where the sound was coming from, behind some bushes.

"Gotcha," I said as my kunai landed. "Oops."

I noticed that my kunai had hit sand.

"Sorry, Gaara," I said.

"Shhh," he whispered, pulling me behind the bush.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Look."

I followed Gaara's finger to where he pointed.

"Oh no…" I gasped.

I couldn't believe my eyes. At first, I thought I was letting my imagination control my sight. But I blinked a few times, and the image still didn't go away.

Our entire ANBU unit was sprawled out on the forest floor, blood covering their uniforms. But that wasn't what surprised me the most.

It was the person standing over their bodies.

**(A/N) Cliffie!!! I know you all love 'em! Anyway, I've noticed that some of you might think the information about Amegakure is wrong. I'll clarify a few things for you: there are many variations of the Naruto world map. I decided to make Amegakure an island, **_**but **_**it is actually a country slapped in the middle of all the other countries. I found it better to make it an island. It doesn't matter, though, because it's still in the middle of the countries.**

**And another thing is the burning of the village. It was **_**not **_**the entirety of Amegakure. I decided to separate the village into even more smaller villages. It causes even more tension in Amegakure, which is great for the story. Remember, Amegakure itself is a village in Naruto. **

**I just changed a few things. It is an AU fic, after all. So bear with me here! If you are confused, tell me and I'll answer your questions. Review and tell me if you like the idea or not. I'll give you a teddy bear!**

**Oh yeah, you may have noticed the word 'milieu'. It means 'surroundings' just in case you didn't know.**


	11. Suspicion

**(A/N) That was a quick update. Strange for someone like me. But overall, the updates will become quicker. Hope you enjoy this! R&R**

**Disclaimer: I…do…not…own…Naruto. Comprende?**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Suspicion**

"Akihiko!"

He heard my shout and turned to me, his onyx eyes blank. Blood was splattered on his vest and face but none of it was his own. Ignoring Gaara, I ran over to him, stepping over bodies.

"Akihiko, what happened?" I asked, trying my best not to look at the bodies.

"Akatsuki," was all he had to say.

Gaara walked toward one of the bodies of an ANBU. He looked the bodies over and then looked up at Akihiko, his eyes narrowing.

"What is it, Gaara?" I asked.

"It's nothing…" Gaara answered. "We should leave. It's not safe here."

"Yeah, I've noticed," I murmured.

"Hey, what's going on?" Naruto asked groggily, walking out of his tent.

He looked at the ground and gasped, now fully awake. Sasuke came out after him, inspecting the gore.

"Let's pack up," Akihiko said.

He and the others walked back to our camp. I stood there frozen, my mind telling me to move but my body not responding.

"Shouldn't we tell Tsunade-shishou?" I asked.

"I'll get a messenger hawk," Akihiko called.

I glanced at the horror that will probably haunt my dreams. They were all cut through, their eyes wide with shock. I knew Kisame hadn't done this, it wasn't his style. If Fishface had done this, they would have been torn to ribbons. But they were slashed straight through.

"C'mon, Sakura!" Naruto called.

I walked back to our camp, leaving the mess behind. Packing up all of my stuff, I looked at Akihiko. His hair was disheveled but his eyes were focused and alert. Gaara was looking at him too, his face unreadable.

It seemed as if this mission was going to fall apart. Our ANBU unit was murdered and now we have no back-up. Only the five of us are left to fight the Akatsuki. Fate appeared to be against us.

After we finished packing, we headed back into the trees, doing our best to navigate through the dark. Sasuke had his sharingan activated, moving steadily through the branches. Gaara was next to Akihiko and I listened in on their conversation.

"When did you find them?" Gaara asked.

He was speaking of the ANBU.

"Only minutes before you came," Akihiko replied.

Gaara seemed to think about this.

"Why do you have blood all over?" Gaara asked.

"I needed to inspect the bodies," Akihiko said. "I hoped some of them were alive."

Gaara thought about it again. I stopped listening, wondering why Gaara was asking those questions. He sounded… suspicious.

Why would he be suspicious of Akihiko? It seemed rather foolish. I dropped the subject and continued to run on the water covered branches, focusing on our destination.

-0-

We traveled through the next day, and by night, we were all weary. We made a lot of distance from the past camp. I felt ashamed. We should have at least buried the bodies. But we didn't have any time.

Our next camp was closer to the river. I sat on a rock that was glossy and wet that sat near the water, skimming rocks. I thought all of the things over, wondering if we had made the right decision.

"Is something on your mind?" Gaara asked, coming to sit beside me.

He looked more apathetic than usual.

"Of course," I said dully. "Our entire ANBU unit was murdered by Akatsuki."

Gaara's face seemed to darken at this topic.

"Don't you find it strange?" he asked.

"What, that all of those ANBU were slaughtered by the Akatsuki?" I said. "Not one bit."

"No, I meant the fact that the Akatsuki didn't capture us," Gaara said. "They had three jinchuuriki in their sights, and yet they kill the ANBU unit."

"Maybe they did it so they can capture us when we get to their base," I suggest.

But Gaara still looked doubtful.

"Listen, I don't know what the Akatsuki are going to do," I said. "All I'm concerned with is defeating them."

"You have a one-track mind," Gaara stated.

I stuck out my tongue, but his doubts spread to me. It _was _strange that the Akatsuki didn't capture us. I didn't want to have anymore doubts, though, so I quieted my fears.

We sat there for a while, looking at the clear, blue water of the river. Once in a while a fish would jump out making a 'plop' noise. The current was soft as it rushed over stones.

"It's beautiful," I said.

Gaara nodded in agreement.

This was another moment with Gaara that I wish I could frame.

-0-

The four day trek continued. It rained the entire time, leaving us sticky and wet. It wasn't the best journey I had. And Naruto's constant complaints weren't helping, either. At one point, Sasuke tied Naruto's headband around his mouth.

The light became brighter, as our fatigued legs carried us on. Soon enough, we found ourselves out in an open area. It was brighter than the forest, but not very bright overall. The clouds overhead blotted out the sun. Straight ahead there was another river.

Looking across the river, I saw it.

Amegakure.

**(A/N) This chapter was shorter than the others, but the next one will be long. So, I hope you enjoyed. Give me some feedback, and I'll give you any candy you wish!**


	12. Rebirth

**(A/N) Not as long as I thought it would be. I have nothing to say about this but enjoy and R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto…**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Rebirth**

We crossed the river, sending chakra into our feet. Well, most of us. Naruto fell in. It took a while to fish him out, and when we did, he was crawling with leeches. Naruto had a fit.

After pulling the leeches off, we walked to Amegakure. I had a strange feeling in my stomach. It didn't hurt and it didn't feel like there were what people call 'butterflies'. It was just a strange pressure in my gut.

And I think I know what it was from.

I was going home after ten years. But there was nothing left for me back here, though. All that remains is a destroyed village.

"Are you okay?" Akihiko asked, a worried look in his eyes.

I wondered if he was feeling the same apprehension I was.

"Yeah," I lied.

As we reached the large gate surrounding Amegakure, the guards attacked us. Shuriken were sent our way as well as various other weapons. They weren't ninja, but they used ninja tools. I knocked out a few and the others handled the rest. We reduced their numbers to five.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" one of them asked, throwing shuriken at Akihiko.

He easily deflected them with his own katana.

"We're from Konohagakure," Akihiko stated coolly. "We were sent here by the Hokage to investigate Amegakure."

The guards' eyes narrowed suspiciously. They were standing in front of us, ready to attack again. We were in a similar position.

_'Not much of a welcome,' _I thought.

Akihiko pulled out something from his backpack and showed it to the guard. The sentry looked at it and then made a gesture, signaling the other guards to lower their weapons. I could tell they were still suspicious, though.

"You may enter," the guard said tersely.

The gate opened and we walked through. The guards sneered at us, clearly not wanting us to be there.

"Welcome back," I said sarcastically.

Amegakure did not look too good. People were sitting on the sides of streets, clearly sick and dying. The air smelled of rotting fish and meat. I could tell the others were surprised at the condition, but Akihiko and I expected it.

"Why is this place so… disgusting?" Naruto asked, saying the last part slowly as not to offend me.

I didn't care.

"It's been torn apart by war," I answered sadly.

I felt sorry for these people. I can't remember a time when this place was at peace. People from my village often got in the crossfire of wars between other countries. And, often enough, there were civil wars. People from Amegakure were often killed in fights between other countries. My parents were killed in a fight they weren't even involved in.

We walked through the crowded streets, avoiding stepping on whatever mess was left on the ground. As we continued further into the village, things only seemed to get worse.

"Where can we go?" I asked, wondering if there would be a good place to stay in this village.

"We're going to our village," Akihiko answered.

"You mean, it really is rebuilt?" I asked in wonderment.

"Mostly," Akihiko said. "It's probably the safest place to stay."

I nodded. I don't believe a place that has just been rebuilt would be touched by war. But I could be wrong.

I actually didn't know which direction our village was. I had never traveled too far from it. But Akihiko seemed to know the way, and by nightfall, we had made it home.

I was surprised by the condition it was in.

There were no people on the street, unlike in the other village, and the buildings looked clean and new. They looked even better than they did ten years ago. No sign of the past destruction showed.

We checked into a decent inn and got situated.

"I'm going to take a walk," I said, walking into the boys' room.

This time, they all had a room together and I was the one who had a separate room. I guess Akihiko took pity on me.

"I'll come with you," Naruto said eagerly.

But Akihiko shook his head.

"Maybe some other time," Akihiko said to Naruto, who had a questioning look on his face.

Akihiko understood. I have to do this alone.

-0-

I walked down the streets, inspecting the buildings. They were very nice with flowers in the front lawns and most likely a heater inside. Kids played in the large puddles created by the continuous rain. The air smelled damp and musky, and most surprisingly, rather nostalgic.

_'Some things never change,' _I thought.

Memories came flooding back to me, and I sunk into a reverie.

**Flashback**

_"Where are you, Aki?"_

_Playing hide and seek was never my forte. I searched through the entire village and yet I still couldn't find my best friend. I stuck my bottom lip out and pouted, about to cry in frustration._

_"What's wrong, Sakura?" I heard a gentle voice ask._

_I looked up to see my brother smiling at me with a bag in his hands. His brown hair came down to his shoulders and his emerald eyes sparkled. His eyes were more clear and bright than mine which looked more like a cat's. Ryuu got his looks from our father and I got mine from our mother._

_"I can't find Aki," I whined, stomping my foot in an impatient gesture._

_"Playing hide and seek, I see," Ryuu said with a laugh._

_I huffed._

_"How about I help you," Ryuu said, seeing my irritation._

_I brightened up and nodded my head enthusiastically. I grabbed his arm and led him down the street, taking turns sharply._

_"Whoa, slow down," Ryuu said, laughing. "No wonder you can't find him."_

_I stopped abruptly and turned to look at my brother. His smile was wide and kind._

_"What am I doing wrong?" I asked, frowning._

_"Well, how about we search more closely," he suggested._

_I nodded my head, my pink locks bouncing in their pigtails._

_We searched slowly now, checking every ally and lot. Our village wasn't very large, so it wasn't very difficult to travel the entire region._

_Ryuu and I came across an ally, and Ryuu smiled. _

_"What is it, Ryuu?" I asked._

_He put his finger to his lips and took my hand. We walked silently down the ally. There were steps surrounded by trashcans leading to a door. We walked up the steps, still silent, and looked down. My eyes met the top of Akihiko's head._

_"Boo!" I exclaimed._

_Akihiko looked up and smiled._

_"You found me," he said. Then, spotting Ryuu, he added," and I see how."_

_I smiled, showing the gap in my front teeth._

_"We're going home for dinner," Ryuu said, gesturing to his bag. "You're welcomed to join us."_

_"Sure," Akihiko said._

_At sixteen, he lived alone. I lived with my brother, without parents. But never did I once feel alone, or sad because they weren't with me. I only needed Ryuu._

_We walked to my house, making idle conversation. Akihiko and Ryuu laughed at my knock knock jokes and they added their own. We might not live in the best place, but at least we had each other._

_My house was regular sized, with cherry blossom trees surrounding it. That's one reason my parents named me Sakura. Walking into the house, we kicked off our shoes and entered the kitchen, still laughing._

_These were idealistic times. When the three of us were happy and together. We had no concerns or worries. Even though we weren't blood related, we were still a family. Never had I thought that it would be taken from me._

**End Flashback**

I finally came to the area where my house once stoodIt was replaced by a few merchant stands. There were no remnants of the previous building. There were no Sakura trees.

It saddened me to see this. The only thing I had left of it were memories. But once I die, then what? It would be like that house, or the village, was never there. The only thing that kept it alive were my memories.

But I should be happy. This village is doing much better. It is reborn with new people and places. It was rather beautiful, too. I could see the hope that went into rebuilding it. I could feel it in the air, the rain.

But it will once again fall into poverty.

It may be a new beginning, but it will be the same end.

**(A/N) I liked the end. It was actually better than I planned. Actually, I liked the entire chapter. I think it's my best. I hope you liked the flashback. A little insight into Sakura's past. So R&R and tell me what you think.**


	13. Base

**(A/N) Yayz! Go quick updates! I don't know if the next chapter will be so quick, but I'll try. For now, review my lovely readers, and I will give to you a plasma t.v.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Geez…**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Base**

I sat in my room, thinking about all of the good times I use to have. Even though there was constant war, I found happiness with Akihiko and Ryuu. And for the past ten years, happiness seemed to be lost to me.

I started to cry.

Maybe it was because I was here. Back in this place. This place that had haunted my subconscious for ten years. Where my life started, and if the Akatsuki had their way, would have ended. It was the place that I loved and lost.

"Are you okay?" I heard Gaara ask.

I didn't hear him enter my room. But there he was, standing in the threshold. I looked up, tears blurring my vision. I couldn't read his expression, as usual.

"I'm f-fine," I mumbled, but it was clearly a lie.

Gaara sat down across from me. I wiped my eyes, trying to regain my composure. Akihiko said if I opened myself up, I wouldn't break down anymore. How wrong he was.

"No you're not," Gaara stated simply.

I had the urge to make a wisecrack but was in too bad a shape to muster the courage. My shoulders shuddered as I tried to calm myself, but it only made me weep harder. My hands covered my face, so I didn't see when Gaara put his arms around me.

"It's okay," he murmured next to my ear.

His words did little to comfort me, put the sound of his voice helped me calm a bit. He was surprisingly warm and gentle, and I wish I could stay in his arms forever. After a while, my hysterics calmed into gentle sobs.

Gaara gently took my hands from my face and pressed his lips against mine.

"I'm here for you," he murmured against my lips.

He continued to hold me, gently kissing my lips, neck, and collarbone. I settled down after a while, and he held me close.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Gaara asked as he gently rocked me.

"I would if I knew," I muttered, my eyelids feeling heavy.

The last thing I saw was Gaara's face as I fell into a dreamless sleep.

-0-

"WAKE UP!!!"

-Splash-

"NARUTO, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"See what you did, now she's mad."

"Idiot."

Naruto had poured water from God knows where on me as I slept and I was currently chasing him through the inn. I grabbed him and rubbed my fist on his head.

"Mercy, mercy!" Naruto cried.

I let go of him and he fell to the floor.

"You didn't have to be so hard on him," Gaara said.

"You would have done the same thing," I said, walking back to my room.

I took off the wet sheets from my bed. It was most likely rainwater that Naruto used.

"What am I going to do with these?" I asked.

"Nothing," Akihiko said from the doorway. "We're leaving."

That could only mean one thing. We were going to search for the Akatsuki's base.

-0-

"Anything?" I said into the headset.

I heard a chorus of 'no' in my ear.

I sighed.

We went through two villages already. Amegakure was large, and the base could be anywhere. I was beginning to lose hope.

"Let's meet up," Akihiko said.

I headed toward our meeting place, which was marked by a kunai in the ground. I could tell Sasuke was beginning to get anxious and Naruto was getting very impatient.

"C'mon, we knew from the start that it wouldn't be easy to find," I said.

That didn't change anyone's attitude.

"Let's check the next village," Akihiko said.

We went west, our feet squelching on the slippery branches. Forests were everywhere, separating the villages. They all had rivers running through them, and I wondered how the plants didn't drown. This forest was a bit smaller than most, so we exited minutes later.

This village was worst than the last two. In fact, it was practically uninhabited by humans. Buildings were either barely standing or destroyed. There was a foul stench in the air, and it wasn't from fish or animals. It was human flesh.

"Ugh," Naruto said, fingers pinching his nose.

I nodded in agreement.

We went our separate ways, searching for any clues of a structure that might contain Akatsuki. I highly doubted it would be in this village, but I searched anyway. I traveled through the ruined buildings, coming upon a river once in a while. But all of the rivers had green water and fish floating to the surface.

I headed toward the heart of the village, encountering several corpses. I stopped when I came upon a vacant lot. It was barren, and I could see nothing in it. There were many lots like this in all of the villages. But this one was different.

Chakra was surrounding it.

"I found something," I said into my headset.

I waited for the others to arrive. They were quick and they sensed the chakra immediately.

"What the hell…" Sasuke muttered.

"It's a barrier," Akihiko said.

Naruto was about to touch it, his fingers reaching out, but Akihiko grabbed his hand.

"It'll kill you if you touch it," he explained.

"How are we going to get through it?" I asked, careful to keep my distance.

"We'll bust through," Naruto said confidently.

"But if it's the Akatsuki's base, it will alert them of our arrival," I said.

"Naruto's right," Akihiko said. "There's no other way to get through it. And besides, our entire purpose is to kill the Akatsuki, so we might as well let them come to us."

"Fine, but how are we going to break it?" I asked.

"I can use my rasengan," Naruto said, a wide grin forming on his face at the opportunity to show off his powers.

"I'll use my chidori," Sasuke said.

"Well, then, do your thing," I said.

Naruto summoned a shadow clone, and his hands moved over the real Naruto's hand, creating a ball of chakra. Sasuke held his hand down, a ball of chakra forming in his hand, too.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

As the two balls of chakra hit the wall, it slowly cracked. The chakra became more and more visible, black and red, like the Akatsuki cloaks. When the wall fully cracked, a loud explosion sounded, kicking up dirt from the ground.

We waited for the dirt to settle, and looked up to find a large building standing in place of the wall. To a normal person, it would seem to be a normal structure, only without any windows. But the chakra pouring from it made it hard to breathe.

It was definitely the Akatsuki's base.

**(A/N) Actually, I think it will be a quick update. So, as aforementioned, tell me what you think and you could when a plasma t.v.! **


	14. Betrayal

**(A/N) Sorry that this update was longer. It took a long time to write because I wanted everything perfect. Hope you enjoy! Review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! At all! Whatsoever! So you can foggedaboutit!**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Betrayal**

"So, what do we do now?" I asked after no Akatsuki appeared.

It was eerily quiet as we waited, and there was no sign of the missing-nin

"We wait," Akihiko said.

We stood in front of the building, waiting for the Akatsuki to appear. After a while, everyone was becoming impatient.

"Don't tell me they didn't hear that huge explosion!" Naruto yelled.

"Well, if they didn't hear the explosion, they'll definitely hear you loud mouth," Sasuke commented.

"I say we just go in," I suggested.

"Well, that's going to be difficult since there isn't a door," Gaara said.

"Naruto, Sasuke," I said, smiling.

"I'm not wasting my chakra to create another hole," Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded his head, agreeing with Sasuke.

"Fine," I said, pulling on my glove.

I walked up to the building, and punched it. The entire wall collapsed, revealing a hallway. I walked in first, looking around. There were no doors and, and I couldn't figure out which way to go.

"Left or right?" I asked.

"Let's split up," Akihiko said, looking both way down the halls.

We nodded our heads and headed either way. Gaara, Akihiko, and I down one end, and Sasuke and Naruto down the other. It was a maze in there and we still didn't see any doors. It seemed never ending and repetitive.

Then I realized what it was.

"Release," I said, making a hand sign.

The halls seemed to disappear as they were replaced by a dark room. A room who's door was locked. From the outside.

"It looks like we've walked into a trap," Gaara said.

I growled. Can this get any worse? I looked around the room, searching for a way out. There were no windows and it was completely empty. All the room had was four walls and a locked door.

"We've been expecting you," came a voice.

"Yeah, what took you so long?" another one asked.

They were in the shadows, so I didn't know who they were. I didn't recognize their voices, but they seemed menacing.

"Hidan and Kakuzu," Akihiko said.

"Akihiko, how are you doing?" one of the voices said.

"He knows you?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Of course," Akihiko said. "Actually, we're good pals."

"Pals?" I asked disbelieving.

"Oh, so she doesn't know," the voice said, the figure attached to it stepping out of the shadows.

He had a strange face, and stitches were all over his body. Another figure stepped out, with a large scythe.

"Of course not," Akihiko said. "The plan wouldn't have worked then, fool."

"What plan?" I asked.

"The plan to capture you, of course," the one with the scythe said.

Akihiko walked over to them, smiling

"I should have known," Gaara said. "You were the one who killed the unit, weren't you?"

"Of course," Akihiko answered.

"How long?" I asked abruptly.

"How long what?" Akihiko asked.

"How long have you been with them?!" I shouted.

"Since before you were born."

"What?" I asked, a sick feeling in my stomach.

"I was only a new member when you were born. I wasn't a missing-nin. Instead, I was a spy. The village trusted me, so it was rather easy. When my father, Hiroshi, took in that bijuu, I informed the Akatsuki. They had been looking for it after a failed mission to capture it. When Nibi learned that we were after it, it took the form of an ordinary feline and ran to Amegakure.

When it entered the village, it recognized me from before, and told Hiroshi. He was distraught after hearing the news. So, Nibi came up with the idea to find a host. Your parents were chosen, and Hiroshi did the jutsu. He died shortly after but your parents knew about me, so I had to kill them."

My eyes widened.

My parents! I thought they had died in an accident. At least, that's what Ryuu told me. I guess Akihiko lied to him.

My best friend.

The person who was with me through the good times and the bad, was part of the organization that destroyed our village.

But I was more angry than sad. I was angry at myself for trusting Akihiko, angry at Akihiko for betraying me, and strangely, angry at the rain that fell from the skies now but refused to fall ten years ago.

I withdrew my katana.

"Gaara, go ahead and find Sasuke and Naruto," I said, the anger rising in my voice. "I'll take care of this."

Gaara looked reluctant, but headed to the door. His sand crawled into the padlock, unlocking it.

"Oh no you don't," the Akatsuki with the stitches said.

But Gaara used his sand to block his attack, and walked out the door. I saw the other man reach for his scythe, but Akihiko shook his head. His face was serious now.

"I'll take care of her," he said, drawing his katana.

I smiled and charged at Akihiko, swinging my sword down. He blocked it, and turned, and I stumbled forward. He took the opportunity and swung his sword down on me. But I moved just in time, and turned my body, my katana slicing through the air. It came in contact with Akihiko and punctured his arm.

I could tell he underestimated me by the look on his face.

I fought the sadness at fighting my best friend, and poised for another attack. He came at me this time, aiming for my heart, and I dodged. But apparently he knew I was going to do that, and turned on his heel, slicing through my stomach.

I faltered, holding my stomach, the warm blood trickling through my fingers. I was losing blood, and fast. My head began to feel light, and I fought the urge to close my eyes. The last thing I remember was Akihiko's smile as he raise his sword once more.

-0-

"Where's Sakura and Akihiko?" Naruto asked.

Gaara had found them minutes later after leaving Sakura. The two were at first confused by the layout of the building, but when the genjutsu was dispelled, they began to check every room. They hadn't found anything. There didn't seem to be any Akatsuki in the building.

Gaara explained the situation to the two.

"So, he's a traitor," Sasuke said.

Gaara nodded.

"He killed the ANBU unit to make it easier to capture us," Gaara said.

"Which means we can't fight the Akatsuki," Naruto said, his eyebrows furrowed, showing his was thinking hard. "I have a better idea."

"That's a rare occurrence," Sasuke said.

Naruto ignored him and continued.

"Actually, Sasuke, you will be the one to carry it out."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. That was rather interesting.

"We're going to burn this place to the ground."

-0-

"You must fight."

Nibi's voice was stern. His emerald eyes bored into mine. I was cold and distressed.

"I know," I said. "But, I'm afraid."

"He betrayed you," Nibi said. "You trusted him and he deceived you. He killed your parents and tried to kill you. He is not your friend, and never was. Take control of your pain and grief and fight with your heart. Fight for your mother, your father, your brother, your village. Fight so that their deaths are not in vain."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The Nekomata was right. I will not be overwhelmed by this.

"I will fight!"

-0-

The power was flowing through my body again. It was different from the time with Sasori and Deidara, though. This time I can control it. I know that this is my power and I'll use it to kill Akihiko.

I gripped my katana, and I seemed to fly across the room, and pierced Akihiko's chest. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fell to the floor. I turned to look at the other Akatsuki, but they was on the ground, dead. The chakra must have been too strong for them.

"Sakura!"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara were in the doorway. I calmed a bit, and the adrenaline left my body. I fell to my knees, the wings protruding from my back disappearing along with my chakra.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes concerned.

I smiled and got up weakly.

"Yeah," I said.

"Good then let's get out of here," Naruto said.

"Why?" I asked.

"We're going to torch the building," Sasuke said.

"What about our plan?" I asked.

"We can't carry out our plan without the ANBU," Gaara said.

I nodded my head. We ran out of the door, heading for the way we came in. No Akatsuki appeared, and I suspected they think that Akihiko had killed me. They probably thought the explosion of chakra was from Akihiko.

_'Akihiko…'_

I shook my head, clearing my mind of those thoughts. It's no time for that.

We ran out the building.

"So, how are we going to burn it?" I asked, looking back at the building.

Naruto pointed to the jug of gasoline in his hand.

"I'll spread it around the building, and Sasuke will use his fire jutsu to ignite it," he said.

"Naruto, why did you bring gasoline?" I asked.

"It's Sasuke's."

I looked at Sasuke.

"It's to strengthen my jutsu," he said.

Naruto ran around the building, pouring out the contents of the jug. He looked ecstatic, creating the large circle. Sasuke performed the hand signs.

"Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu ."

He put his hand to his mouth and a stream of fire came out. Once it came in contact with the gasoline, the entire building was surrounded by fire. It soon spread to the building itself, and the flames slowly devoured it.

We ran further away, to a hill, and watch the Akatsuki's base burn to the ground.

**(A/N) Sorry I didn't incorporate the rest of the Akatsuki. I found it unnecessary. And the next chapter will be the last, and I'll have it up soon. For now, though, review for three wishes!**


	15. Peace

**(A/N) So, this is the last chapter -tear-. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and I hope you all liked it. Enjoy the last chapter!**

**All I Needed was Rain**

**Peace**

We watched the building burn.

It was like a recreation of that night so many years ago. The flames liking at the sky, the suffocating smoke, and the sadness of it all. But there was one thing that was different. Akihiko wasn't the one holding me.

Gaara was.

I felt safe in his arms, the way I did what felt like lifetimes ago. I silently cried, the tears streaming down my face. It was delayed shock from when Akihiko turned on me and when I killed him.

And then a thought popped into my mind.

"Oh shit!" I shouted.

Everyone turned to me.

"We have so much work to make up when we get back."

I stopped, realizing how dumb that sounded at a time like this. Here we just destroyed the Akatsuki's base and all I can think about is school. But the others laughed, thankful for the lighter topic.

I could tell everyone was distraught.

We spent over a week looking for the base, and it ended so quickly. I looking at the fire, a surreal calm settling over me.

It was all over.

I didn't have to worry about being captured by the Akatsuki because they most likely died in the fire. I know who I am now, _what _I am. And I'm at peace with that.

I'm at peace with the rain.

I'm glad it didn't come this time. If it did, it would douse the flames, and the Akatsuki would survive. So I now thank the rain.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We should head back to Konoha," Gaara said.

I nodded.

I'm going home. My real home.

-0-

I sighed, looking around the apartment. How was I going to pay the rent?

**'Get a job,' **my inner said.

I groaned at the thought of having a job along with going to the academy.

"Hey, Sakura, what are you going to do with Akihiko's stuff?" Naruto asked.

Gaara and Naruto came over, but Sasuke went another way. He was mad because he didn't get to kill his brother personally.

"Just throw it out," I said.

I looked down. It felt weird. I was throwing out my ex-best friend's stuff. Gaara looked at me worriedly but I smiled.

I was okay with it.

Things are looking up for me. I've changed, and I felt free. I now considered Konoha to be my home. It _is _where all of my friends are.

And I knew that things would continue to get better.

I didn't need the rain.

**FIN**

**(A/N) I wrote this chapter while listening to one of my favorite songs So Far Away by Crossfade. It suits Sakura perfectly. Listen to it and you'll know what I mean. Again, I want to thank everyone who read this story. See you later.**


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